


The Warrior and the Trickster

by BelleDayNight



Category: Journey into Mystery, Thor (Comics), Thor (Movies)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-05
Updated: 2014-11-07
Packaged: 2018-02-19 23:03:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 47,700
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2406122
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BelleDayNight/pseuds/BelleDayNight
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Takes place after the movie-verse Thor: The Dark World.  Loki appreciates the things that Thor takes for granted. The god of mischief has his eye on a certain dark-haired warrior woman. Is being King truly what Loki wants? (Includes cannon from the comic Journey into Mystery issues 646-655 and Thor God of Thunder). Loki and Lady Sif journey into the underworld in hopes of restoring the true king of Asgard to the throne.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Part I

The Warrior and the Trickster

 

Another day had passed since Thor’s absence from Asgard and another battle won. With Thor’s absence leadership of Asgard’s armies and the protection of the realms fell under Sif’s command. She celebrated with her friends--the Warriors Three. They had ale and laughter. Vostagg sat with his wife, Hogun discussed tactics with some others, and Fandral laughed rowdy with a woman on each arm. 

Sif felt alone, but among many of her fellow warriors. She nursed the last dregs of her ale-- the taste had gone sour. She missed the big, blond lug. Life was so much more dull without the god of thunder and her bed sheets much colder since his infatuation with that human. 

She drained the last dregs. Just thinking about that woman made her stomach churn. She couldn’t help but blame the human’s presence for Frigga’s fate and Odin’s resulting loss of compassion. She set her mug on the table and pushed away from her chair only to have one Vostagg grab her elbow and hold her in place.

“Have another ale, Sif. You earned it. Your leadership on the field today saved many lives,” Vostagg said. He gestured with his hands towards his wife. “You should have seen her, dear! Out there with the wind blowing in her hair and her sword gleaming in the light burnished red with the blood of our enemies. She was every bit a goddess!”

“Thank you for your kind words, however, I feel my spirits need solitude to recover today’s exploits and not more drink,” Sif said as she left the drinking hall. She’d had enough of the jovial attitudes of her compatriots.

She didn’t have a destination in mind, but found herself on the path toward her brother Heimdall. He was always so serious, but he would make fine company for one who wanted the quiet. He was standing guard, as always, the stars’ lights reflecting on his golden helm. 

“I know why you are here,” Heimdall said without turning away from his constant gazing across the galaxies. 

“That’s a comfort, because I don’t,” Sif said sitting at his feet. She began to pick at her nails absently--a bit of dried up blood had caught under her thumbnail.

Heimdall’s heavy hand rested gently on the crown of Sif’s head. “No need for the tough act with me, little sister. Thor is on earth.”

“With that human who he favors more than us,” she murmured.

“I do not know that he favors her more than his friends, Sif. He values you a great deal. You must know that.”

“Values me so much that he sets me aside to fetch his new infatuation. Ignores whatever promises he made to me in the past,” Sif said reaching up and knocking away her brother’s hand. “Don’t touch me.”

“As Thor has chosen to reject being king of Asgard his betrothal to you is null and void. I am sorry,” Heimdall said. 

“It’s fine. He can play with his little human girl friend. I am curious how he intends to crawl back in neigh a century when her brief life is snuffed out.” She flicked out the last piece of dried up blood from under her nail and crossed her arms over her chest. She followed her gaze and stared out across space.

“He is not with Jane Foster. He is working with those Avengers.”

“I see. So he has no need for any of us. He has replaced us and the Warriors Three with humans.”

“Do not be so angry, little sister. Thor must learn compassion if he is to ever be king. His affection towards earth will make him a better leader when it is time for him to take his place,” Heimdall said. He gazed through the stars. “Even now, he protects all the realms by defeating threats on midgard.”

“There are other realms than midgard,” Sif said rising to her feet. “Sorry I disturbed your work, brother.”

“It is never a bother, Sif. I am here for you should you need me.”

She watched him a moment longer, envious that his emotions were so reigned in check. He was her half brother and must have gotten that from his mother. Her mother had died in labor, but was no doubt cursing until her last moment. Their father was as short tempered and fierce as she--up until the day he died in battle.

She returned to the castle and leaned upon the railings of the grand balcony. She stared out into the distance not really seeing anything and mostly feeling sorry for herself. Sadly, there were no more enemies for her to slay to release her frustrations.

 

OoO

 

It had been ridiculously easy impersonating his grief stricken father. Loki wasn’t a fan of the eye patch, it made it so much harder to judge distance and he had the sore shin to prove it. He had always wanted to rule--to serve as king. Odin needed a vacation from the pressures of royal decree so Loki helped him achieve it. A brief coma for the next five decades should help his adopted father cope with things.

However, it was hard to wander about the castle under his father’s guise, so he enjoyed using the disguise of the random golden helmed soldier. No one much minded his spear or his presence. As a castle guard he was allowed virtual freedom of the entire premises which suited his purposes.

He missed a step when he saw her in the moonlight with dark hair waving behind her in the crisp night breeze. If he looked close there would be no tears in her dark eyes, but fierce battle-hardened determination. It was a shame that such a tall and athletic beauty would waste away her talent on the likes of Thor.

Loki could admit that he’d been jealous of the golden boy his whole life. First born son was set to inherit the throne and the loyalty of the people. However, even when Thor was performing treachery he could depend on his friends. The same friends that he cast aside time and again. Sif was used by Thor as his second in command in battle and his first choice bedwarmer. She probably didn’t appreciate his abandonment of Asgard for earth.

“Lady Sif, how fairs thee?” he asked genially, still in the guise of a castle guard.

Sif didn’t even glance his way. “I am alive for now, but one day Valhalla awaits.”

“That’s a rather grim outlook,” Loki said coming to stand beside her. 

She shrugged. “It is the outlook of warrior. One day my toils here will be rewarded.”

“Since your hard work is so under appreciated here,” Loki said.

Sif turned toward him and looked at him closely with narrowed eyes. “I know not your face, but your words remind me of another. What is your name?” She whipped out her sword and held the tip under his chin with hardly any effort.

Loki appreciated her skill with the sword. She was beautiful and deadly. He reached up and gently pushed aside the blade. “Is that any way to speak to one of your oldest friends?”

Sif snorted and tucked her sword away. “I should have known you would survive. You kept your promise to Thor, so your life will be spared. He raved about what a heroic death you had,” she said with a raised brow. “Am I seeing the resurrection?”

“Never dead. You know me. Too much left on the agenda to die prematurely,” Loki said with a grin. 

“Life would be less mischievous without you, but no doubt less interesting too,” Sif admitted. “I never have trusted you.”

“And you have always trusted Thor and look what that has gotten you. Left behind for a mortal,” Loki retorted.

“True enough,” Sif said shrugging. “I would miss you if you were dead. I have always appreciated your wit. I lack the creativity you possess.”

“You’re creative enough. You must be or else you would not be undefeated in battle,” Loki argued.

“My battles are won through brawn and stubbornness.” She leaned back on the rails. “What is it that you want of me?”

“Your betrothal was to the future king of Asgard, correct?”

“To Thor, yes.”

“To Thor specifically?”

“I suppose not specifically. I wish to serve Asgard as best I can. For now I serve as the general. One day I might serve as Asgard’s queen, but I lack the drive to force the issue upon whomever the role of king might fall upon. The betrothal is null and void.”

“If I touch your arm, will you promise not to cut off my hand?” Loki asked.

“I will not harm you today, god of mischief,” Sif promised.

Loki reached for her wrist and held it tightly in his hand. He could feel the dull throb of her pulse as her blood rushed---even in his presence when most would cower in fear Sif was calm and composed. What wasn’t to adore on the woman? “If say, I, was to become King of Asgard would you consent to ruling beside me? I do wish to be a just and noble king. I could use someone of your impeccable moral character to guide me.”

“Surely you jest?” Sif said pulling her arm out of his grasp. She looked him directly in the eyes--something no one but Thor would have dared. “You speak true. You are a strange man. Some days you seek the destruction of Asgard and the next her salvation.”

“I just want to claim the birthright that Thor has so flippantly tossed aside. Father offered him the kingdom before he left, but Thor rejected the role and the ties that would come with it.”

“I see,” Sif said thoughtfully her hand having found her sword hilt and rested on it absently. She seemed to realize what she was doing and released her hold and brought her hand back to her side casually. “Why would you want me? There are more appropriate women to choose from. Women who are more calm, more obedient, less deadly.”

“I wouldn’t want them. I want the fiercest, most beautiful, more loyal, most passionate Asgardian.” Loki reached out and placed his hand upon her shoulder. “There is only one Lady Sif and I appreciate her.”

“I will consider your offer, Loki,” Sif said. 

Loki dropped the illusion momentarily and stood before her in his emerald splendor. “Consider one part more,” he said before he took her face into his hands and kissed her. The kiss only lasted a few moments, but as soon as his lips touched hers she began to kiss him back with the passion he expected of the goddess of earth. 

And then she drew back and slapped him.

He held his hand to his burning cheek and watched as Sif turned her back on him and stalked off, but not before he caught the faint smile on her lips. 

 

Chapter Two:

 

“So, where to fair Lady Sif?” Fandral asked.  The blond bearded man was leaning against a pillar of the watch tower playing with the feathers at the end of one of his arrows.  “Heimdall here might die of excitement if he doesn’t get to send us away soon.”

“Do not tease my brother so,” Sif warned adjusting the sword strapped across her back.  “He might accidentally behead you with his blade with all the excitement,” she said with a wink toward Heimdall.

“I don’t need you antagonizing them, sister,” Heimdall said shaking his head.  “I do need your destination for the Bifrost.”

“King Odin has put me in charge of keeping peace amongst the realms.  You said you thought there seemed to be a disturbance in the Sixth Realm?” Sif asked.  “Can you tell what kind of disturbance? Just have the rainbow bridge take us where we are most needed.”

“I hope it was that the dwarves mass harvest provided too much food and they need someone heroic to help devour it,” Volstagg said rubbing his massive belly.  His red hair stood out every which direction and he looked like he was harmless—unless you saw him with an ax in his hand swinging toward an enemy.

“Did you even brush your hair today?” Hogun asked.  He’d recently returned from visiting his homeland and was upset to have missed all the drama with the Dark Elves.     
Sif and the Warriors Three all missed Thor.  He was their leader, but he’d been gone for at least three weeks now.  It didn’t appear he’d be returning anytime soon.  Heimdall had been helping them spot any sort of adventures amongst the nine realms where their services could protect those unable to protect themselves.

“I believe I know just where to send you,” Heimdall said. “Are you ready?”

Sif nodded. “We’re always ready.”   
   
   
OoO

Within the walls of Odin’s palace Gladsheim Loki spun the scepter in his hand as he listened to another petition.  Did Odin really have to listen to so many sniveling whiners?  Could these fools not resolve any conflicts on their own?

“I have heard enough,” Loki said, still wearing the guise of his father.  A farmer complained that a traveling salesman and his wagon had run over and killed his pig.  The peddler offered to pay the farmer in his product of ale for the slaughtered swine.  “Farmer, you cannot milk a pig.  Eventually the pig is purposed to be food.  Accept the peddler’s exchange of ale.  It is worth more here than your swine.  You can turn a great profit amongst the warriors.  And furthermore, for wasting my time, you shall also give the peddler a second pig--freshly slaughtered so that he can have pork and bacon.”

“Thank you, King Odin,” the peddler said with a deep, grateful bow.

The farmer’s face was red in barely suppressed rage.  “I will accept your decree,” he said with a stiff bow.

Loki was about to dismiss the counsel around him and retire for the evening.  He really didn’t want to hear another lame conflict amongst the citizens of Asgard.  Perhaps being king wasn’t worth the trouble.  He sat straighter in his throne upon the announcement of the next citizen on his docket.

“The Lady Sif seeks an audience,” his assistant said.  “Will you see her, my king?”

Sif and her Warriors Three had been absent for a fortnight. “General Sif of our military force hardly needs to ask.  Of course I will see her,” Loki answered impatiently.  
He wasn’t disappointed.  Sif walked briskly across the stone floor of the throne room, her boots clicking smartly with each step.  She wore her battle armor and her hair was down, but it appeared that she’d taken the time to wipe off any blood and grime.  He appreciated that, but he could still smell the faint coppery scent of blood radiating off her.  She must have come straight from another battle.

“My King,” she said kneeling before him with one knee resting on the ground and the other raised.

“General Sif, what brings you before me?” Loki asked.

She looked up at him and met his visible eye with a steady gaze.  Her dark blue eyes let him know that she knew exactly who he was, but would respect his power of authority.  He’d like to show her true authority, but his thoughts digressed.  He gestured with his scepter for her to continue.  “Speak your case, general.  I wish to retire for the evening so that I might dine.”

“I came to report the progress on protecting the other realms.  There was a strange infestation of rat-like creatures that were destroying the farms on the Sixth Realm.  I led the mission along with the Warriors Three and we were able to stop them before they destroyed the crops,” Sif said.

“I see.  I’m sure you enjoyed your time at Nidavellir,” Loki said.  The Sixth Realm was the home of the dwarves.  And when he and Sif had been young he had played a cruel trick on her shortly after discovering that he was adopted and not a true son of Asgard.  Sif had been born with beautiful golden hair that she was very vain about. Loki had hated that she was blond like his brother. And Sif was his favorite Asgardian though she hardly ever paid him any notice.  He’d snuck into her chambers one night and cut off her hair while she slept and replaced it with an enchantment by the dwarves. Her hair was then as dark as his, but still beautiful. Thor had tried to kill him for the deed. Sif had never been vain about her looks since.

Sif scowled at him--obviously she remembered the reason for her dark tresses.  “I care not for the dwarves, but they are under our protection.”

“And how did you stop these creatures?  These rats?”

“We tried to contain them in a cage of iron from the enchanted mines of the dwarves and wood from the forest of the Light Elves to return them to wherever they came, but they ate through the containers.  It should have worked.  Nothing is more impenetrable than the wood of the elves or the iron of the dwarves.  We were able to keep the casualties to a minimum but the rats had killed two small dwarf children and several sheep dogs before we arrived.  We decided since we could not contain them that we must destroy them.  So I did,” Sif explained.  “It took some time to catch them all.”

“Do you believe they were a natural creature to the Sixth Realm?”

“No, I do not.  I am here because I believe that ever since the battle with the Dark Elves and the convergence that the barrier between the realms have remained askew.  I fear for the well-being of Yggdrasil the Great Tree. It is possible the rat creatures weren’t violent in their natural habitat, but changed in the other environment.  Or perhaps they were from that hellish realm Muspelheim.  The fire demons are a hardy race.  My king, I fear that I cannot monitor and prevent all these occurrences,” Sif admitted. “It took my companions and I two weeks to resolve this one.” 

“You will do your best, no doubt.  If it is more men you need then you shall have such a boon.  Though we are still building our armies after the slaughter of the recent prison break.  Establish a chain of communication on the other realms.  Place someone in charge of contacting a coordinator here for you and then you can take a rapid response team to deal with any infestations,” Loki suggested.

“Your counsel is wise,” Sif said before standing.  “May I be dismissed?”

“No, you may not.  How about you join me for dinner?  We can discuss these strategies further,” Loki said rising from his throne. 

“It would be an honor,” Sif said stiffly.  

 

OoO

 

Sif walked alongside Loki as he impersonated their king.  She didn’t understand how everyone else in Asgard seemed to be fooled by his antics.  Even her brother didn’t seem to notice and he was renowned for knowing things.  They went to his private banquet room; there was a table large enough to seat twenty Asgardians and it’s surface was full of food.  The dishes ranged from every conceivable vegetable and rooted plant that she’d seen in Asgard as well as a large sampling of both pork and turkey. 

“You can feed an army with this bounty,” Sif said frowning. 

“Or maybe just Vostagg,” Loki said with a grin sitting at the head of the table.  He gestured toward the chair at his right.  “Have a seat.”  
Sif chose the chair at the opposite end of the long table.  She looked up and down the rows of food.  “No desert?”

“I’m not a fan of sweets,” Loki said. “Unless you’re offering a different kind of desert?” His appearance shifted from the false image of Odin to his true form and then back again.

“Where is Odin?” Sif asked abruptly changing the subject. It was always uncomfortable whenever Loki flirted. She would not be fooled by his witty banter.

“Sleeping,” Loki said grabbing a turkey leg and taking a big, juicy bite.  “He was traumatized by Frigga’s untimely demise.”

“As were you,” Sif said.   She reached for the goblet full of wine in front of her and took a drink.   
Loki shrugged.  “It’s not the first time I’ve lost a parent.  I am adopted after all.”

And he killed his biological father in the battle with the Frost Giants two years before. “I would like to name Brunnhilde as my second in command,” Sif said. The fierce valkyrie had been forgotten in limbo by Odin for centuries and upon restoration of her spirit to her body she’d spent most of her time on Midgard. Perhaps in their time of need she could be convinced to return to aid Asgard.

“Talking about business all ready?  Cannot we just enjoy a quiet meal together?”

“Not while there is chaos amongst the realms and lives are in danger,” Sif answered.  “Brunnhilde is a strong and noble warrior.  I trust her implicitly.”

“And she’s not a fan of Thor.  I see where you’re going with this,” Loki said waving his drum stick at her.  “I approve.  She’s still not forgiven Thor for the time you tried to sacrifice your life for him to Hela.”

Sif shifted uncomfortably under the statement.  It was true.  Her friend Brunnhilde , also known to her teammates as Valkyrie, wasn’t too keen on Thor.  Valkyrie had spent a great deal of time on earth and in space defending the realms.  Sif was technically the goddess of the earth and harvest herself under the Norsemen’s mythology.  A thousand years ago she spent a great deal of time on Midgard.  “I just don’t understand why Thor is suddenly so interested in the humans.”

Loki clicked his tongue in sympathy.  “It pains me to see you just now realizing the selfishness of my dear brother. Frankly, he’s a simpleton.”

Sif took her fork and stabbed a large slab of ham and put it on her plate.  She savagely began to cut it into little pieces with her knife.  “Thank you for approving Brunnhilde.  I assume that you won’t be dethroned anytime soon?” she asked looking up.

Loki smiled.  “Actually, I was thinking I might retire from this business as king.”

Sif dropped her knife and fork to her plate.  “After all the trouble you went through and the lives lost for you to gain the title?  Why? You killed the king of Jotunheim and have incapacitated the king of Asgard. Do you vacate the throne and then snub it?”

“Being king is tedious and limits my freedom.  I am not king for the sake of being king.  I am king because I am the only choice right now.  Thor will make a terrible ruler—he’s too impatient and headstrong.  Father is too heartbroken and world weary.”

“So that leaves Loki,” Sif said.  “And Thor wouldn’t be a terrible ruler. His attitude has saved many lives in battle.”

“In battle yes, but he cannot make the tough decisions that would sacrifice the few for the greater good.  Not every battle can be won.  And you’re a better general than him in my opinion.” 

Against her better judgment Sif felt her mouth twitch into a smile at the compliment.  

“Maybe if Thor continues to mature in a few centuries he would be appropriate for the mantle of king,” Loki continued.

“So you are taking the role of king because you have no choice,” Sif stated.

“Oh!  But, I do have a choice.  However, I cannot achieve this solution on my own.  I would need your help specifically,” Loki said.

Loki could always be counted on to be ready for an adventure. Sif appreciated that about the trickster. “I will not commit treason.  I am only acquiescing to your rule because I do not know where Odin is and I believe you that he needs time to recover from Frigga’s loss.”

“So loyal.  You’ll be happy to know you’ll be instating the true king.  Balder.”

“Balder the Brave has been dead for hundreds of years.”

“And for some reason people keep thinking I’m dead too, but then I just pop right up again, don’t I?” Loki challenged.

“You have some sort of arrangement with Hela.  For some reason you are a favorite of hers,” Sif said frowning.  “The goddess of death does not favor easily.”

“She didn’t kill you when she had the chance, now did she? However, I must be irresistible,” Loki said.  He lifted his wine goblet and swirled the liquid within it in a lazy circle.  “Are you willing to join in such an adventure with me, Lady Sif?”

“To save Asgard?”

“To reinstate Asgard under the leadership of Balder—the one whom Odin would want to be the next king,” Loki clarified.

“Isn’t he in Valhalla?” Sif asked.  If they were to infiltrate the sacred halls of Valhalla she would risk being exiled from there in the afterlife.  Loki spoke truth.  Balder would make the best king.  Odin was past his prime and Thor a poor choice in his current level of maturity.  Loki wasn’t even Asgardian.  Asgard should not be ruled by the son of a Frost Giant guilty of patricide.

“Is he?  We’ll need to travel to Niffleheim first.”  Loki set aside his goblet.  “But first, eat up.  We have a great journey before us.”

“Who will watch after the kingdom if you are absent and Odin is unreachable?”

“The interim ruler!  I shall appoint a steward.  How about Hogun?  I bet he wouldn’t appreciate it at all.

“He would hate to be left in charge,” Sif said scowling.  Her serious friend would loath such a position.

“Exactly! That’s why he’ll be perfect for the role.  We don’t have to worry about him planning a revolution to claim the throne for his own.”  Loki stood from the table and stretched his arms high above his head and cracked his neck to either side.  “That’s settled.  I’ll send for you in the morning.  Pack up to be on an extended journey.”

Sif started to stand.  “No, no,” Loki protested.  “Keep eating.  Have your fill.  Who knows how long it will be before we eat of such proportions again.”  

She sat back down. What had she just agreed to?  
 

 

Chapter Three:

 

Sif woke up early. Loki wouldn't expect her for some time yet. She dressed in comfortable, yet durable clothes. If they would be traveling throughout the realms who knew what they might encounter. The normal means of travel amongst the nine realms wasn't reliable since the convergence and there was no telling how long it would be before it righted itself.

She didn't want to end up in Muspeheim (the world of the fire demons) unprepared if the portal took her to the wrong realm. So far she and the Warriors Three hadn't encountered any such troubles but Heimdall warned her each time that it was a risk. 

She went to her wardrobe closet and took out her worn leather pack. She filled it with a change of clothing, undergarments, gas mask that could filter out sulfuric air, a fire making device Thor had given her from Midgard- a lighter he called it, knives she could use for food, and a dwarven cooking pot that could collapse in size and was also an excellent blunt force weapon. She opened the drawer of her dresser and pulled out a bag of dried fruits and vegetables preserved for long adventures. She always had a stash readily available in her room.

Sif laced up the bag and set it aside. She went to her weapons closet and strapped on an assortment of daggers to her thighs, put on her forearm bracers and her form fitting body armor. She draped her red cape over her shoulders, strapped her sword to her hip, and threw her traveler’s bag over one shoulder.

Her boots for the trip were supple leather made from dragon's hide. She was able to walk and hunt silently in them. She made her way toward the throne room to await the Odin-impersonating Loki.

He was already there looking out the window of the antechamber just outside the throne room. His back was to her and while her boots were soundless he turned as she approached. Sif scowled wondering how he had sensed her. She was a hunter and was renown for her ability to move soundlessly.

"Nice boots," he commented glancing down at her feet. It was too bizarre having the All Father standing in front of her complimenting her footwear. "Is that from a dragon?"

"I slew one that terrorized the elves on Alfheim a few decades back," Sif said. She lifted one foot and angled it first left then right to admire her boots. "They are very durable. The soles were made from the dwarves."

Loki as the All Father grinned. "The dwarves make remarkable things."

Sif touched her hair absently. "How did Hogun take it?"

"He is grumbling and complaining, but he is in the throne room doing his duty as steward. He wanted to join me on this journey into mystery, but when he heard I already had your aid he sat down grumpily saying that I had no need of him then if I had you. So, he’ll be busy dealing with the rebuilding of the city and feeding the homeless citizens."

Sif's eyes crinkled in amusement at hearing her taciturn friend's reaction. She was also proud of his confidence in her and didn’t envy his role as stewart dealing with rebuilding the battle-ravaged city. “It is ironic to leave a man of Vanaheim in charge of Asgard.” 

“I am a fan of irony.”

She noticed a bag similar to hers at Loki's feet and stooped to pick it up. He looked at her questioningly. "I will take your bag, my king. Shall we be off to the Bifrost?"

"We will go by the stables first and we will take Sleipnir."

"Odin's horse? Is that wise?" Sif whispered quietly. Animals were able to see past deception and were able to sense the true nature of those around them. How would such a creature treat the Trickster?

"The horse is more mine than his," Loki answered cryptically.

They walked to the stables and found Odin's gray eight-legged steed anxiously awaiting them. The horse stamped his feet impatiently as Loki approached and whinnied until the trickster offered him an apple and an affectionate rub of his mane. The large stallion knocked his head against Loki's chest affectionately.

"He really likes you," Sif observed in surprise.

"Indeed. You could say I am like a mother to him," Loki explained.

Sif frowned at his words and puzzled over them in her mind. Loki led Sleipnir out of the stables and sat upon his unsaddled back. He offered his hand and Sif took it and sat behind him on the horse. "Shouldn't we put a saddle on him?"

"He prefers not to wear them," Loki said starting toward the Bifrost.

"And you misspoke. You mean you are like a father to him, right? Not mother."

"Whatever is easier for your mind to grasp," Loki answered.

“All Father Odin--what a surprise. Sif what are you doing?” Heimdall asked as she and Loki approached his watch tower riding on Sleipnir.

“We shall be traveling to Niffleheim,” Loki answered. “Is the Bifrost stable enough to send us there?”

“It is not my place to question my king,” Heimdall said frowning. His eyes fell upon Sif as if trying to read her mind to find the truth of things. “As I’ve explained to my sister and her fellow adventurers since the Convergence travel amongst the realms isn’t stable. I will try to send you to Niffleheim, but you could end up in any of the nine realms. You must be prepared.”

Sif pulled out her gas mask. “Just in case we find ourselves in Muspelheim.” She glanced at Loki. “I did bring two of them.”

Heimdall nodded his head approvingly. “Protect the All Father. I will send you both to the world of the dead.”

“I hardly need protecting,” Loki said in annoyance imitating his father’s voice. The King of Asgard wouldn’t take kindly to the inference that he wasn’t able to protect himself.

Heimdall inserted his sword into the Bifrost and the rainbow bridge transported Loki, Sif, and their horse Sleipnir.

 

OoO

 

"The universe laughs at us!" Sif cried throwing her arms into the air.

She and Loki were walking alongside Sleipnir and the rocky terrain. Heimdall had warned them there was a possibility of arriving in the wrong realm. But she didn't think they'd end up here!

"It is not so bad," Loki protested. He was no longer wearing the guise of Odin, but appeared in his usual form-- dark haired and lanky. "I know other routes we might travel through to reach our destination. It will just take some time to reach it."

"Why aren't we cutting down that time by riding the horse?"

"Because I don't want to injure him on these uneven stones and soggy grounds."

Sif had no argument for that. They Bifrost had misdirected them and they found themselves on Midgard in the northern most parts of Ireland navigating the large basalt formations. "Can we go somewhere other than England?"

"Only if you want our journey to extend in length even more," Loki said looking over at her with a frown. "Surely the Lady Sif doesn't fear running across her old boyfriend?"

"Neither of us want to run into Thor," Sif argued. "He could interfere with our quest. He'd see to it that you were imprisoned for treason."

"Is that concern for me?" Loki sounded genuinely curious. "I thought it mattered not to you if I were to be rotting in a cell for all eternity or not."

"I agreed to your plan. For better or worse we are bound together on this quest. I will see it through to the bitter end. Recovering Balder the Brave is what is best for Asgard."

"So you will stop Thor for me?"

"If he interferes. You said yourself he declined the throne so that he could frolic about with his mortals."

"Hm," Loki hummed thoughtfully. "Let us just try not to cross his path."

“Or any humans that might remember when you made the news last year for your reign of terrorism amongst the humans,” Sif said.

“Oh. That. Why does everyone have a problem with that? I killed a few dozen humans. Father killed thousands in the past. Why does no one hold that against him?”

He had a good point and Sif had no answer. "Why did you kiss me?"

"What?" Loki asked missing his next step and then turning back to her.

"On the balcony when you revealed yourself to me. Why did you do it?"

"Why wouldn't I?"

“That is no answer.”

“You wouldn’t like my answer. Now stop prattling. If we can reach solid ground Sleipnir can help us cross the Irish Sea and then we can head south through Scotland and eventually reach London.”

“That makes no sense. How can this horse travel across the sea, but not a bunch of rocks?”

Loki rubbed Sleipnir’s neck. “Don’t listen to her. You’re doing just fine.”

“Have you ever even been to Scotland?” Sif asked.

“Well, no,” Loki confessed.

“It’s been a thousand years, but it’s a rocky terrain. If your horse does better traveling over water then we’d do better crossing the Irish Sea into England.”

“Okay,” Loki agreed. He started to direct them in a more south-easterly direction.

“Just like that? You agree?”

“I listen to wise counsel,” Loki said. “You’re the Asgardian goddess of War--why wouldn’t I listen?”

“Your brother doesn’t listen,” Sif grumbled.

“No, but Balder did and he’s the reason we’re doing this,” Loki pointed out. A flash of lightning shot through the clouds above them. “Great,” he said sarcastically. 

A deep rumble of thunder followed after the lightning. “Just because there is a storm doesn’t mean Thor is here,” Sif said.

“That’s not been my experience,” Loki argued.

“Then take the guise of Volstagg and if he arrives he will not question our presence,” Sif suggested.

“I think I prefer if he were to see the two of us together,” Loki said.

A few tense minutes passed and there was no Thor landing on the ground between them with Mjolnir clutched in his fist.

“False alarm?” Sif asked.

“So it seems,” Loki said with a sigh and he visibly relaxed.

Dark clouds gathered in the sky and the sun’s light became blocked so only a scan few rays illuminated their path. “I believe it’s about to rain,” Sif said glancing up. “We had best seek shelter.”

“And am I to assume you know this terrain so well that you know of a nearby cave or abandoned residence?” Loki asked in a voice laced with heavy sarcasm.

“I told you it had been a thousand years since I visited these lands. But as it would happen I can see a cave in the distance,” Sif said pointing towards a series of basalt pillars that partially obscured a cave. 

“What do your eagle eyes spy,” Loki muttered. “Okay, Sleipnir, that’s our goal,” he said into the horse’s ear. Sleipnir whinnied and stamped his feet as the first drops of the storm started to fall. “Hop on,” Loki ordered after swinging himself onto the horse’s back. He held out his hand to Sif. She took hold of Loki’s wrist and pulled herself behind him on the horse.

Odin’s eight-legged steed took off at an insanely fast pace--having no problem running across the rocky terrain and reaching the cave. 

“He had no issue traversing those rocks,” Sif complained wringing the water out of her hair.

“No, but he has feelings too and he didn’t want to run across the rocks and risk hurting himself, but he hates being rained upon more. He’s not a fan of lightning so he was motivated,” Loki explained giving the horse an affectionate rub down.

 

OoO

 

“Would you want to venture over to Oslo while we’re here?” Loki asked.  He and Sif sat next to one another with their backs propped up against Sleipnir who was lying on the cave floor sleeping with his legs tucked under his large body. 

Loki snapped his fingers and caused flames to burst over the kindling they had found and gathered for a small fire.  It helped to be the god of fire.  He watched as Sif skinned the rabbit that she caught a few minutes ago with her bare hands.  He cringed a little when she pulled off the rabbit’s skin by twisting the poor creature into awkward positions and then just like that it was a meal ready to be roasted over the fire.

“Why?” Sif asked.  She stabbed the rabbit through with one of her daggers and held it over the fire.  “What is there that should interest us?”

“The Berserker staff,” Loki said.  “It’s said that to hold it the wielder is granted great strength.”

“I have no need of enhanced strength and your power is in your mind and illusions, not your hands.”

Loki held up his hands for inspection.  “My hands are nimble and strong—I can show you one day if you’d like.”  When Sif merely stared back at him stonily he continued.  “Anyone can use more strength—even you.”

“I don’t wish to linger on Midgard any longer than necessary.  And I already experimented with the Berserker spell the last time I went to Niffleheim.  I forced the teacher to empower me with Berserker strength then I cut off her head.” 

“That’s excessively violent,” Loki said clutching at his own throat in sympathy.

“It’s not like she died,” Sif huffed.  “Heimdall went and reattached her head.  She said that she didn’t spell me with Berserker.”

“But, you thought that she did?”

“I went to the lands of never ending battle and slew all the beasts there and when my brother found me he told me that I was never spelled.  Apparently Berserker is in my nature.  We have no need of that accursed staff.  It makes its wielder visualize their most traumatic memory and enrages them through that grief.”

“Hm, that would be inconvenient,” Loki agreed thinking about his countless traumatic memories.  One can only murder your father so many times before going mad.  And he wasn’t even sure if that was his most traumatic memory considering he’d also given birth to a horse.  “So you’re Berserker by nature?”

“Apparently,” Sif said bringing the roasted rabbit close for inspection.  She stuck it back over the fire and continued to rotate it slowly over the flames.  “According to what the teacher told Heimdall I just needed permission to unlock my true violent nature.”

“I will remember to keep you as an ally,” Loki said.

“It would be wise,” Sif agreed.  “When we finally do reach Niffleheim I’d like to avoid Nidhogg.”

“I think everyone with an ounce of reason would want to avoid him,” Loki said.  Nidhogg was a great serpent that lived in Niffleheim and feasted on corpses and when there weren’t enough corpses he gnawed on the roots of the tree Yggdrasil.    
It was important that it have enough corpses to feed upon or else the world tree might be destroyed and with it the known universes. 

Sif held the roasted rabbit out to him.  “Would you like first bite?”

“That’s very considerate of you,” Loki said taking the dagger and rabbit from her and biting into the warm flesh.  The meat practically fell off of the bones.    He handed it back to her after taking the first bite and she bit into it next.  They ate in silence for several minutes.  “This storm doesn’t seem to be lessening,” Loki observed.  The rain fell in thick sheets across the mouth of their cave. 

“Indeed.  We’ll be stuck here through the night,” Sif said.  They had finished the rabbit and she’d started to whittle down the bones.

“What are you doing?” Loki asked watching her.  She seemed selective about which bones she wanted to work with and threw other bones back into the fire without a second glance.

“I’m going to make a pair of whistles,” Sif said staring down at her work.

“Are we going to lead a marching band?”

Sif glanced up at him with a confused expression.  “I’m not sure what a marching band is.  These will be useful should we become separated and need to find one another.  We can whistle a simple tune and recognize one another.”

“What if we are in trouble, but whistling would draw attention to ourselves, what then?”

“Then you must choose if it is safer to be quiet and eaten or loud and attract your ally to destroy whatever threatens you,” Sif said simply.  She blew into one end of one of the whistles she was making and a low-pitched sound resonated through the cave causing Sleipnir to stir in his sleep.  She drilled a second and third hole into the bone pipe and when she blew into it a higher pitched whistle was heard.

She held out the completed whistle to Loki and he accepted it before she started on the second whistle. 

“Would you believe this is the first gift I’ve ever received?” Loki asked.  He turned the fragile item over in his palm.  It was so small.  And only an hour ago it had been part of a living creature.

Sif paused in her whistle making and stared at him.  “You jest.”

Loki shrugged.  “Nope.  I’ve stolen things and I’ve given gifts to others to bribe them into sparing me their wrath.  This is the first time I’ve been given a gift myself.”

“Frigga taught you to master illusions.  That is a great gift.  It is better to teach a man how to fish than to give him a fish for dinner,” she said. 

“I never would have taken you for a philosopher,” Loki said tucking his whistle into the inner folds of his tunic.   “Thank you for the gift.”

“It’s just a whistle,” Sif said shifting uncomfortably.  She returned to completing the second whistle.

Loki watched her for a few more moments before resting more fully against Sleipnir and closing his eyes.  He listened to the sound of the rain falling and felt himself slip into unconsciousness feeling safe for the first time in many years.


	2. Part II

Chapter Four:

Sleipnir had taken to running over the Irish Sea once the rains had stopped. While the horse didn't mind running on ocean water he didn't care for storms. Loki didn't question the his son's temperament. He felt everyone was entitled to their own quirks.

"So, what happened when you came here last?" Sif asked.

"I met Thor's friends," Loki answered. He didn't care for his run in with the Avengers as they had foiled his plans of world domination. The humans of this time were resourceful. If it hadn't been for their interference he'd be ruling the people of Midgard. Though, it had been a great deal of fun bantering with the witty Tony Stark and the lovely Natasha Romanova.

"Why did you want to rule earth anyway?"

"The humans slaughter one another daily. I thought I could lend them my guidance." He really didn't want to rehash his failed attempt to rule Midgard. However, who knew how long he and Sif would be on their mission. It was nice to actually talk to someone that wasn't trying to kill him or imprison him. He knew that as long as he and Sif were allied on their quest she wouldn't let anyone touch him. It was empowering to know he had a loyal ally for once in his life.

"I am not one to judge, Loki. I have visited various realms and led battle against countless foes. I am sure they view me as a terrorist by some parties and a hero by others," Sif said. "Why earth? There are so many other realms."

"Because Thor has decided that he loves earth." Loki could feel Sif shift behind him on Sleipnir. His brother was still a topic of discomfort for her it would seem.

"I can respect that," Sif said. "I am still confused as to how they were able to capture you. You are far too clever."

Loki smirked. It sounded like Sif respected his wit. "I wanted to see for myself what the protectors of Earth - the Avengers had to at their disposal." Mostly, he had wanted to see The Hulk for himself. Unfortunately, he ended up seeing The Hulk up close and personal. He still had an ache in his spine whenever he encountered the bitter cold of winter.

"And is that why you allowed yourself to be imprisoned on Asgard?"

Ah, Loki appreciated Sif's train of thought. There was a reason she won all the battles she led. She was rather clever herself. "I had nothing better to do at the time," he answered evasively.

"Was it you or Odin that had Volstagg and myself deliver the Infinity Item to the Collector?"

"What did you think of Taneleer Tivan?" Loki asked redirecting the question. It had been him that had ordered the ether delivered to one of the surviving Elders of the Universe.

"He was a strange creature. It was you then," she stated. "Is the ether safe with him?"

"The Collector has devoted his immortal existence to protecting the universe from items of immense power than cannot be undone. There are far more worlds than just the nine realms you are familiar with. As the ether cannot be destroyed it did seem best to place it within his protection." Of course, the old quack collected living specimens of every world he also had encountered. "He is the one that warned Asgard of the imminent attack of Surtur." He referred to an attempted invasion a few centuries past.

"Then he is worthy of our trust," Sif said decisively. "If it had not been for his forewarning Surtur and his fire demons surely would have destroyed Asgard. His forces of Muspelheim were so very great."

Loki remembered that Sif had been gravely injured in that fierce battle. Many Asgardian lives had been lost. "You were wounded," he said.

"A piercing wound barely missed my heart," Sif confirmed. "It was the poison that was the problem."

Loki also remembered that Thor had gone to Hela in the underworld and fought for Sif's life. Her devotion to the god of Thunder had been unwavering since that moment - at least until recently. "We draw nearer to our destination," Loki announced. He could see the outline of a land mass that he presumed was the English coastline.

"I look forward to leaving this wretched land," Sif said. Her words were ironic considering her affinity to the world of Midgard a thousand years ago - a woman scorned truly was a fearsome thing. He couldn't blame her though. Her grip around Loki's waist tightened. He couldn't say that he minded even if the embrace made it harder for him to breath. What did one need with air anyway?

"This place isn't so bad."

"Not as nice as Asgard or Alfheim, but I suppose better than most of the realms," Sif conceded. "Once upon a time, I loved this realm above all others. I understood the people here."

Asgard wasn't exactly in pristine condition after the dark elves had invaded and released the prisoners in a riot, but Loki wasn't about to mention that seeing as he had a hand in the defensive shield being lowered. In a round-about way one might say he was at fault for his mother's death. However, that one would be wrong. Loki blamed Thor bringing Jane Foster into their world with the ether running through her body. He did appreciate the punch that the petite human packed though. He remembered it fondly and rubbed his abused jaw absently at the memory.

However, his money would be on Sif if there was to be a fight between the two. Preferably one involving mud and skimpy clothing. "The Norsemen did really love you," Loki said. "You are still mentioned in their mythology with affection."

"Oh?"

"They even have a tale about my shorning off your golden hair."

"And how did they explain your being close enough to me to do so?"

Loki shrugged as Sleipnir stepped ashore and slowed his pace. "Some poems claim we were lovers and that I did it while you were sleeping."

"We were but children when it happened," Sif argued.

"I'm just repeating what the poems say," Loki said. He couldn't say that he minded the poem himself aside from mistaking his motive. He didn't cut Lady Sif's hair because he was jealous of her relationship with Thor, he did it because he was lonely. He wanted that which made him different - his dark hair - to be that which made him the same as his childhood friend. Of course, if his adopted parents had told him he was adopted and was actually a Frost Giant by birth then he wouldn't have bothered trying to fit in with the other Asgardians.

"I have grown fond of my dark hair. I won't thank you for it," Sif quickly added. "But, I enjoy not being the same as the other women of Asgard."  
Loki laughed. "No worries on that account." There was no danger in Sif being considered common place among the other Asgardian women. The only woman he had appreciated and admired more had been his adopted mother. It was hard for a woman to compete with a man's mother.

OoO

"I had not thought we would find this place before sundown," Sif confessed. She glanced over at her traveling companion and was still disoriented by his appearance and her own. Loki had altered their appearance and that of Sleipnir so that they appeared a blond human couple walking their large dog. She felt naked without her armor, but she knew it was still there only hidden under an illusion.

"Excuse me, ma'am, sir, but you can't come here," a British police officer said standing in front of them.

"Why not?" Sif asked. "We have business to attend to in this area."

Loki held a leash for the dog form of Sleipnir in one hand and placed his free hand around Sif's shoulders and drew her close. "My apologies officer, but my wife and I had wanted to take a walk around this area. We used to work in these old offices. That's how we met. We didn't realize there would be a problem."

It took a great deal of restraint for Sif not to throw off Loki's hand. His calm answer was more likely to acquire them entrance without attention than her forcing her way through. She felt a slight pressure on her left hand and glanced down to see an emerald ring now on her ring finger. Did he just put that there to further their illusion? It certainly felt real.

"I'm sorry, sir, but this was a sight of a great deal of destruction. It isn't safe structurally. I'm not allowed to let anyone pass," the officer said holding his position resolutely.

"Very well," Loki said dropping the dog leash and then pressing his finger to the officer's forehead. The human looked back at them with a vacant expression in his eyes. 

"You will allow us entrance and you will keep any of your fellow officers from interfering. Do you understand?"

"I understand," the officer said nodding. He stepped aside and they walked past him.

"That was painless," Sif commented.

"You almost sound impressed."

"I do not impress easy."

"I noticed."

"You want to explain the ring?" Sif asked.

"Not really." Loki continued to lead the way to where a very powerful portal connected all nine realms. It was made stronger by the Convergence and while as the planets would be shifting further out of alignment rendering it useless for now it should still serve its purpose.

"It is impressive," Sif said looking at the portal. All nine worlds were visible overlaying upon one another. "How can the humans ignore such a thing?"

"They aren't," Loki said. He could already detect the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. converging upon their location. "I suggest we hurry." He dropped the illusion of their appearance and hopped upon Sleipnir's back and Sif once more sat behind him. He watched as the various realms shifted in and out of view waiting for Niffleheim to appear.  
There was a crack of lightning that lit up the darkening evening sky and a rumble of thunder that shook through the building.

Thor landed on the opposite side of the portal from them with Mjolnir clutched in his fist, the ground shattered under his impact, and his red cape billowing from his momentum.

"We need to leave," Sif said anxiously as the golden-haired Asgardian looked up in shock at them.

"Sif? Loki? What are you doing here?" Thor asked striding toward them. He didn't even question that Loki was alive. It would seem that after faking your death twice your friends and estranged family were no longer impressed.

"Just passing through, don't mind us," Loki said concentrating on the realms. He could just jump through, but he didn't know where all the passages between the realms were located in spite of popular opinion. He hadn't seen Niffleheim yet.

"Sif? Why are you with him?"

"We're on an adventure sanctioned by the king. It's of no concern of yours," Sif said. Her arms tightened around Loki's waist uncomfortably.

It wasn't Niffleheim, but it was another realm Loki was familiar with and it didn't have Thor. "Screw this," Loki said. He chose to pass into Nidavellir before the way was shut. He urged Sleipnir to leap into the portal and transport them.

"No!" Thor's shout followed them through the portal, but he was unable to follow as Loki had timed it such that the portal was in the process of shifting to another realm.

"That was close," Sif said. She took a moment to look around their environment. "This is not the realm of the dead."

"No, sorry. We're in the realm of the dwarves, but I do know my way around here. I can find the direct link from here to Niffleheim."

Sif rested her head against Loki's back. It was a strange sensation that made him feel uncomfortable. People didn't generally touch him willingly. He could feel her take a deep breath before sitting up once more. "There could be more of those rat-like creatures," she said composing herself quickly.

Oh good, they weren't going to talk about how Thor almost foiled their plans. Loki could get used to a companion that could hold her own in battle and didn't bring up the little mishaps that crossed their path along the way. And especially one that didn't question his motives constantly. If only others would realize that he was the Norse god of fire and like fire his whims and directions could change and waver unexpectedly. He was especially glad she didn't press further about the ring.

"The sooner we can free Balder the sooner we can resume our normal lives," Loki said.

"Have you thought of what we might offer Hela in exchange for Balder?"

"We must be willing to offer anything and everything that we might possess. It will be up to the goddess of Death to decide her price," Loki said. "Now, quiet. We do not wish to draw any undue attention to ourselves."

He set his eight-legged horse towards the mountains of the east where he might be able to travel to their destination. Hopefully, they could reach it without any further interruption.

 

Chapter Five:

 

Three days had passed since they first entered Nidavellir. They were finally only a few hours away from the portal to Niffleheim. They’d have made better time if Sif hadn’t been so concerned with playing the hero at every opportunity. She was much worse than Thor when it came to hunting down trouble and trying to help people. Fortunately, Loki was in no hurry.

“I don’t see why you’re so upset,” Loki said. “It was a compliment.”

“Dwarves are unimaginative, dull creatures,” Sif retorted. She was kneeling at a stream in a lush valley not far from a large mining settlement and scrubbing her arms vigorously. She’d recently killed a large, murderous unicorn that had been driven to madness and was on a rampage with her bare hands.

“I disagree. Dwarves are very creative and witty. I often enjoy their banter and cleverness,” Loki said. He rubbed his neck absently. There was a time he’d entered a wager with some dwarves. He had tried to sabotage their efforts, but they’d succeeded in their task. As the winners of the contest they had declared Loki’s head for the spoils of victory. He had agreed they could have it, but they weren’t allowed to touch his neck. As they couldn’t devise a way to retrieve his head without touching his neck he had escaped unharmed. He was grateful that dwarves weren’t quite as clever as he was.

“And why can’t I take off this ring?” Sif demanded shaking her wet hands at him. She’d tried to slip off the emerald ring earlier, but found she wasn’t able to do so. At one point, Loki had feared she might chop off her finger with her sword to remove it.

“Obviously, it’s enchanted,” Loki said with a roll of his eyes. Really, she was being too sensitive. So the dwarves thought she was his property. So what? Would that be so bad? “Don’t worry about it. It serves as extra protection.”

“I don’t need protection,” Sif said moving in front of him and gripping the lapels of his coat. “Take it off.”

“It is a gift. But mostly, it is a sign of our alliance. I may have many enemies on earth and Asgard, but I have many friends in the other realms. Friends that don’t take kindly to Asgardians.” For a moment Loki allowed his Asgardian glamor to drop so that he stood before Sif in his true Frost Giant form. 

To her credit, she didn’t release her grip or step back, but her fingers did slacken slightly and her pupils constricted. Otherwise, she didn’t react to what most would have considered a terrifying view. Frost Giants were rather scary creatures. He resumed his glamor and looked to be his normal pale, slim, dark-haired Asgardian self.

“You will remove this ring once we accomplish our mission,” Sif said in a low, measured voice.

“Of course, if that is what you wish,” Loki agreed with an amiable smile. Sif relaxed her fingers and stepped away from him. The ring he had given her was a very powerful amulet. Creatures that would normally tear any Asgardian into pieces and eat them for supper should they happen to pass by would not feel that urge around the bearer of the ring. Those creatures generally had an affinity for Loki (partly because he fathered a few of them) and they would see Sif as an extension of himself and leave her be.

“We are almost near the portal. Next stop will be Niffleheim.” Loki led Sleipnir toward the edge of the forest. “There is a series of cliffs near to here. At the base of it is where we’ll find our passage.”

“Will we have to climb down?”

“We’re already in the valley. As long as you don’t dally.”

“Dally? My hand was forced. Had I not intervened that mad unicorn would have killed half that troop of miners,” Sif argued.

Loki held up his hands in a placating gesture. “We aren’t even supposed to be on this realm. It could be that Hela will see your action as interference on her collection of new souls.”

“I had not thought of that,” Sif said falling into step beside Loki. “Why did you not stop me then?”

“It’s not my place to stop a hero from saving lives,” Loki argued. 

“Let’s make sure we avoid Aerndis once we reach Niffleheim.”

“The teacher that you decapitated, yes, you voiced that concern earlier. Don’t worry, the realm of the dead is a big place.” It really did amuse him to learn that Sif was as terrible as him at making friends sometimes. “I suspect that Hela herself will find us shortly after we enter her realm.” He reached into his travel bag and pulled out a pair of ear plugs he’d scavenged from a trip to earth. He held a pair out to Sif. “You should protect your ears. It’s about to become very loud and we won’t be able to hear one another.”

She took the plugs without question and inserted them into her ear canals. He did the same. He had taken the liberty to further enchant the ear plugs so that they were not merely physical barriers to sound, but also magical barriers. 

It wasn’t long before they reached the cliffs. The roar of the wind that rushed through the twin cliffs was enough to deafen a normal mortal, but with their protective gear they crossed through realms without further problem.

This time there was no question. They had reached the Underworld. The never-ending twilight and foggy gloom of the ever after was all around them. Sif turned to look at him and he nodded in affirmation. They both took out their ear plugs and the erie winds of the afterlife circled around them.

Sif tugged her cloak around her arms and shivered. “It’s colder than I remember.”

“We’re near the northern most region of Hel,” Loki said. With his Frost Giant lineage the cold didn’t affect him, but Sif wouldn’t be so lucky though the ring he gave her would protect her to some extent from the harsh arctic elements. “It can reach below freezing on a regular basis here, so we had best let Sleipnir transport us south as soon as possible.”

 

OoO

 

Thor sat on the edge of his chair in Avengers’ headquarters in New York City staring at the streets below as the construction workers continued to try and repair the damages his brother had brought brought upon the city with the alien invasion he had unleashed. He gripped his hammer Mjornir in his hand and was polishing the silver head of it. Quite a bit of grime had accumulated from his last series of battles and flights.

After having run into Loki and Sif in London he had hurried to report back to his new Midgardian teammates. He would have gone straight to Asgard, but the rainbow bridge was still unreliable and he promised Jane that he wouldn’t leave again for quite some time.

“I brought shawarma!” Tony Stark said walking into the room with a take-out bag from the Arabic restaurant that he favored. He set the bag on the table in front of Thor. “I thought you could use some nourishment. Captain America says you’ve been staring outside that window for hours polishing your hammer.”

“I appreciate the food,” Thor said. He liked Steve Rogers, also known as Captain America, but ever since Loki had impersonated him it was hard to trust him.

“So, you want to talk about it?” Iron Man asked pulling out a chair next to him at the meeting table. “I could pour us some drinks if you’d like.”

“I would like some of your most hardy ale,” Thor requested. He didn’t like Tony Stark’s arrogance, but he did appreciate his liquor supply. And he was very intelligent. If anyone could match the wit of his brother Loki it would be the engineer before him.

“Not a problem,” Tony said heading to the wet bar on the far end of the room. “Pepper wants me to get rid of this stuff. She says its unprofessional to have it in our meeting room.” He opened the refrigerator in the area and took out two long-necks of a very stout, dark, German beer. He opened the caps and brought them back to the table. “I think its important to have a beer with your colleagues when you’re off the clock.”

Thor took one of the drinks and drained it to the last dregs. He was about to pound it onto the table and demand another when he caught Tony’s warning gaze. Thor gently place it on the table and Stark handed him the second beer. “You’re not going to drink one?”

“I’m on the clock,” Tony said. “So, you ran into your adopted brother and your ex-girlfriend back in England and they jumped through one of the portals.”

“Indeed. I cannot think why Sif would be with Loki. She did not appear to be in duress or working against her will.” Thor stared down at the bottle in his hand and frowned. “It makes no sense.” What adventure could be so important that Sif would abandon Asgard in its time of need? With his absence their home especially needed her leadership.

“I thought you said Loki died.”

“He is the Trickster. I thought he had perished honorably, but somehow he has survived. Perhaps he means no harm.” He looked up to meet Tony’s bright blue eyes hoping to find some confirmation in his belief.

“I can’t say that I think Loki means no harm. I only spoke with him briefly, but he’s very arrogant and confident. He reminds me of me in that way. He’s resourceful, but he’s also a murderer. He won’t bat an eye at destroying anyone that gets in his way. If you’re worried about your friend being in danger, I think you’re justified in that concern,” Tony said. “You might want to eat some of that food if you’re going to keep drinking like that.” He gestured to the unopened bag of take-out that he had brought.

“Sif is a strong warrior. She will not allow herself to be harmed by Loki,” Thor said. He opened the bag and pulled out the wrap. He bit into the meal and was momentarily distracted by the rich, tender meat and herbs. No wonder Volstagg was so obsessed with food. “It is my duty to not just protect Asgard and Midgard, but all the nine realms. I promised my father, King Oden, that I would do so. That is why I am allowed to be here fighting alongside you and your Midgardian brethren. That is why I am able to be with Jane. If Loki is traveling amongst the realms of the world tree he might bring chaos to one of the other lands.”

“I can’t pretend to understand about all the different realms in your charge. However, you said earlier that Sif is the General of Asgard’s armies. Why would she allow Loki to travel freely?” Tony asked.

Thor had been wondering that himself. Loki was known for doing selfish evil deeds, but also for doing heroic selfless deeds. That was part of the reason he still remained alive. Sif enjoyed a good adventure, probably more than most, but she wouldn’t agree to something that would endanger the realms. But, then, he really hurt her when he chose Jane and Earth instead of Sif and Asgard. Could she be vindictive to such a degree that she’d risk the good of the realms? Surely, not. She had helped him protect Jane when she was on Asgard. Though, that could have been to keep the Ether out of the hands of the dark elves and not done simply for the reason that Thor fancied the human.

“That’s a lot of thinking going on in that big, blond head of yours. Care to share some of those thoughts?” Tony asked. He was sipping from a bottle of water. Perhaps this Pepper of his was more influential than Iron Man let on. While Stark boasted about his wet bar, it did not escape Thor that he’d never actually seen the human drink any of his stock.

“I was wondering if Sif’s hurt feelings of my choosing Jane and Earth over her and Asgard would somehow skew her judgment. I don’t think she would endanger the realms over a bout of jealousy, but I cannot see why she and Loki would be working together. I cannot reason out a mutual interest,” Thor explained. 

“Well, you did your job. You alerted the Avengers and S.H.I.E.L.D. to the possible threat and we’re on alert. I think you should trust your friend. And as much as I hate to say it, perhaps you should trust Loki as well in this instance. He did help you against those dark elves,” Tony said reasonably. “Why don’t you go back to Jane and spend some time with her? Remember why you chose earth.”

Thor hadn’t told his Avengers teammates that Loki had also played a major role in the Dark Elves destroying so much of Asgard. He stood. “I will be in the work out room. I want to be here in case there are any new developments.” 

He wasn’t ready to return to Jane. When he had been notified by S.H.I.E.L.D. that there were powerful persons near the Convergence area in London he’d left Jane and promised to return when he was able. He had only known Jane for a short time, and while during that time he felt his heart moved by her and he had a stirring of lust that he’d lacked outside of battle for many years. However, he’d known Sif and Loki for his whole life. The fact that they were together did nothing to quell his worries. He wanted to be right there if there were any new developments.

“So, this is just an idea,” Tony said. “You might want to go back to England anyway. It sounds like your Asgardian comrades used the portal there to travel between the realms. You might want to see if it can send you to Asgard. Maybe you can find the answers you seek there. Figure out what realm they tried to travel to from the fellow in charge of that rainbow bridge of yours.”

“You are wise counsel,” Thor agreed. That is why he had come to Avengers tower in person. Had it been just his own mind and thoughts he’d have spent the next few days pounding away at practice dummies and battle simulations. Iron Man was an excellent strategist. The poorly functioning Bifrost must have been why Sif and Loki were on earth. It was possible they were trying to reach a different destination and were forced to use the Convergence portals as an alternate route. 

“And maybe you should go visit with your girlfriend and let her know what’s going on. She’s some kind of physicist. Maybe she can help you navigate the realms through the portals,” Stark suggested.

“That might be a bit complicated for a human,” Thor said.

“I could probably do it, but I have to run a series of schematics about the Mandarian’s ten alien sentient rings,” Stark explained. “And I have the next three models of Iron Man suits to work out, J.A.R.V.I.S. needs a thorough inspection, War Machine’s newest upgrades, and I need to make reservations for a weekend get-away for Pepper and myself for our anniversary without her knowing. Otherwise, I’d help you.”

Thor didn’t know what Stark was talking about, but now he had a mission so he wouldn’t linger longer in New York and be reminded of Loki’s past crimes. He took firm possession of his hammer and shot through the sky flying back over the Atlantic Ocean toward Jane’s flat.

It was only afterwards that he thought maybe he should have opened the window first, or used the roof. Stark probably didn’t appreciate him breaking through the window of their meeting room.

 

Chapter Six:

Sif woke up from a restless slumber.  Her throat was parched and her eyeballs were so dry that they felt like sandpaper every time she blinked.  She thought the fires of Muspelheim were bad, but the icy region of Hel was even more torturous.  The dry, arid, frigid environment was a desert in its own right— but a frozen wasteland rather than a sandy one.

She shifted the furs about her more closely hoping for a few more moments of rest.  Loki was holding watch, but while they were in an alliance she didn’t entirely trust the Trickster.  There was also the matter of the mysterious ring about her hand.  Why did he give it to her?  What was its significance?

With a groan of frustration Sif sat up.  There was no point in trying to sleep.  Maybe they could start their trip that morning early.  The sooner they reached Hela the sooner they could reestablish Balder as king.  Her observant eyes fell upon her companion who was to be staying watch.

Loki was sound asleep with his head tilted back against a wasted tree with twisted branches and decaying leaves.  As if he felt her eyes upon him he awoke, blinked a few times, then a slow smile spread across his lips.  “I was merely resting my eyes,” he said.  

“That is no way to stay watch,” Sif accused through narrowed eyes.  If this had been her hunt she’d have reprimanded Loki severely for failing in his duties.  

“Oh, do you want to punish me?  I’m sure we’ve a rope in our packs somewhere if you’re interested in a little bondage,” he teased, his green eyes twinkled in mirth.

“This is no laughing matter.  We are in Hel.  Show some respect for the dangers of our environment,” Sif hissed at him angrily.  She began to pack up her belongings and stow them back into her bag rather forcefully.  It took a great deal of restraint for her not to draw her sword and separate Loki’s head from his shoulders.  She was rather proud of herself for not acting on the violent impulse.  Her over-bearing brother Heimdall would praise her for her maturity.    

“I’m more familiar with this environment than you are,” Loki assured her.  He stretched his neck from side to side and then rolled his shoulders back a few times.  “The air here is harsh on the eyes.  Even when it will be your turn later to stay watch you will have to close your eyes.  A pair of those Midgardian ski goggles would have been useful on this part of our adventure.”  

Sif didn’t know what a ski goggle was, but she was pretty sure Loki was simply making up an elaborate excuse.  There was no doubt in her mind that he was sleeping on the job.  Sleipnir nudged her between her shoulders.  She turned and rubbed the horse affectionately between the eyes.  “You ready to go, gorgeous?”

“He really seems to like you,” Loki commented.  He sounded surprised by the idea.

“Why shouldn’t he?  I’m a good person.”  She looked over at Loki.  “I don’t have any ulterior motives on this quest other than to restore the rightful successor to the throne,” Sif said in a haughty manner.  She saw a quick flash of emotion pass through Loki’s eyes, but it was gone so fast she almost doubted having seen it.  Did she just hurt his feelings?

“We should start riding,” Loki said quietly.  He strapped his bag across his shoulders and then jumped onto Sleipnir’s back.  

There were fewer things Sif hated more than issuing apologies.  “Loki, I’m sorry if my words were hurtful.  I have a foul temper when I do not sleep well,” Sif said when Loki offered his hand to help her behind him on the horse.  She took his hand and he helped to sling her behind him.  

“Think nothing of it.  I care not,” Loki said.  He encouraged the horse into a fast pace.  

Sif enjoyed the quiet usually as she preferred silence to useless prater.  However, right at that moment she felt like an enemy that had been beaten down by Mjolnir.  Loki was actually trying to do the right thing and yet she doubted him at every turn.  

“I believe we are about to have company,” Loki muttered quietly to her.  He pointed to a pair of dark figures flying along the horizon.  

“What are those?” Sif asked squinting, but unable to identify the flying creatures.

“Hard to tell from this distance.  My guess would be either dragons or harpies,” Loki said.  “Since there are two of them, I would guess the latter.”

Harpies and dragons were both vicious creatures.  However, given that Sif’s boots were made out of dragon’s leather she feared what they would be facing was the tougher of the two, especially with their traveling as a pair.  Dragons were solitary creatures.  Harpies were like birds and traveled in flocks.  “If they are harpies then those two are just the scouts.”

“That was my fear as well,” Loki agreed.  “You wanted adventure.  I believe you’re about to receive it.”  

 

OoO

 

It had been Loki’s experience that harpies in Hel often were harbingers of worse things.  He didn’t want to alarm Sif.  Her nerves were already fragile as was evident by her word choice and accusations earlier that morning.  So maybe he had fallen asleep during this watch.  There was no need to be so angry about it.  They were still alive and in one piece, were they not?

He urged Sleipnir to change his angle slightly hoping the change in trajectory and the horse’s incredibly fast speed would be enough to avoid the blood thirsty harpies.  It might have worked if an army of the walking dead hadn’t burst out of the ground in front of them like fresh daisies crawling out of the blood saturated dirt.  Their clothing was reduced to tattered rags, their flesh gray and rotten, whatever gruesome wound that led to their death was evident by the gore oozing out of their abdomen or the brain matter caking what remained of their hair. And the smell was putrid.  Sleipnir stamped his feet impatiently.

“I’ll take care of them,” Sif said as she leapt off the horse, and hit the ground running.  She drew her sword and began slashing her way through the army of dead men.  If she’d been hit by a berserker spell at that moment Loki wouldn’t have been surprised. 

The pair of winged creatures were definitely harpies as evident as they drew closer.  Their flesh was crimson, their bat-like wings black as pitch and they wore black leather loin cloths and half tops (most likely made from the tanned hides of the dead humans and Asgardians that were found wandering about the Underworld).  Their fanged teeth were unnerving, but it was the thick black claws at their hands and feet that truly stuck terror in their victims.   Naturally, the harpies seemed to have spotted them so Loki did what he was best at.  He cast an illusion so that the harpies saw only the undead fighting the undead.  Perhaps the harpies would be fooled into leaving them alone. 

Loki closed his eyes and concentrated on pulling out his gift from Thanos from the storage of the land between the realms.  He could feel his fist close around the Chitauri Scepter’s long handle.        

Though avoiding conflict through misdirection was Loki’s preferred method of attack he joined in the melee alongside Sif welding his staff.  The Chitauri Scepter was able to withstand the brutal force of Mjolnir so a few pesky undead wouldn’t be too challenging.  He appreciated the long range attacks of zapping a surge of power towards the angry and hostile dead surrounding him and Sif.  Sadly the Mind Stone within the scepter wouldn’t work on mindless creatures.  Behind them, Sleipnir used his powerful legs to keep the few approaching monsters at bay that happened to slip past Loki and Sif’s guard.

Sif’s sword lopped off parts of the undead while Loki fried them into ash and knocked them back as crispy flakes to the ground.  “This is almost fun,” Loki said with a thrill of exhilaration racing up his nerves.  It had been a long while since he’d fought in a physical brawl on the winning side using nothing but shear muscle and nerve and of course a magical scepter.

“We cannot kill those which are already dead,” Sif said coming to stand with her back pressed against his.  “We must find an escape route.  I believe that is your area of expertise.”

Did she just call him a coward?  “I have an idea,” Loki said.  The harpies were confused by his illusion.  The two scouts were hovering just outside their battle.  The rest of their flock wouldn’t be far behind.  “You might not like it.”

“You might be surprised by what I like and do not like,” Sif countered.  “I was thinking we might hitch a ride on those harpies.”

“You read my mind,” Loki said.  “I can use my scepter to influence them to obey our will.”

“What of Sleipnir?” Sif asked.  “Surely he is too heavy for one of the harpies.”

“Oh, he can take care of himself,” Loki said.  He cast a quick look at the horse and communicated silently his plan.  Sleipnir took off in the opposite direction of the undead army and the harpies and quickly vanished over the horizon.

“If he could disappear that fast why didn’t he take us?” Sif asked incredulously.

“Because he cannot travel at that speed with passengers,” Loki answered.  Shouldn’t that have been obvious?  Two full grown adults in armor with heavy weapons did make quite a load for one horse, even one that had eight legs.

Loki directed the blue stone of his scepter toward the flying creatures and prayed that it would work.  The scouting harpies swooped in toward them and thankfully their eyes were the glazed over blue he was familiar with seen on those influenced by the Mind Stone.  Their talons were open and they clutched ahold of both Asgardians by the shoulders.  Were it not for their leather and armor their arms might have been severed from their bodies by the force.

It wasn’t exactly a comfortable ride, but it was better than facing an unrelenting army of the undead. At least, it wasn’t too bad until the scout harpies started back toward their flock.

“I don’t suppose you can control all of them,” Sif asked glancing over towards him.

“Possibly, but I have a better idea,” Loki said. He used the Mind Stone to manipulate his and Sif’s harpies and encourage them to venture south toward Hela’s palace. It worked for a while until the harpy hoard started to follow after the scouts. There was angry squawking from the rapidly approaching hoard. Loki tried to use the Mind Stone on the masses of harpies, but their minds too base to manipulate. “We may have a problem,” Loki admitted. 

“They act akin to a hive. Maybe if you attack the mind of the queen harpy,” Sif suggested. She swung her legs back and forth until she managed to twist out of the grasp of her harpy carrier and land on its back. She stood up between the shoulder blades where it’s wings protruded and jumped on a nearby harpy with a dagger in each hand. 

“Sif! What in the nine realms are you doing?” Loki shouted. He gripped his scepter tightly as he tried to manipulate as many of the harpy minds as possible.

“Process of elimination. See if you can find which one is the queen!”

Loki struggled to contain as many of the hoard as possible, but with a flock of nearly one-hundred it was proving a challenge. 

“Sooner, rather than later would be good,” Sif called out as she leapt to another harpy as the one she was on started to plummet to the ground.

“It’s not as easy as it looks,” Loki mumbled. He managed to mind control another dozen of the harpies. A large shadow began to blot out the light in distant sky. “We might have a bigger problem.”

No sooner had the words left his mouth than a golden scaled fire-breathing dragon sent a wave of scorching fire through the harpies. The dragon swooped in and swallowed whole several of the roasted harpies.

Loki felt his heart constrict in fear when the dragon swooped near Sif, but the mighty warrior managed to jump off her harpy moments before the dragon snatched it out of the sky and then she as on the dragon’s neck.

The dragon and Sif abruptly changed directions and started away from Loki. He tried to direct the harpy to follow after the dragon, but in his distraction he lost control of the harpy’s mind. It angrily shrieked and tried to rake him with her claws. Loki bashed his scepter hard against her skull and he began to plummet towards the rocky ground below. Maybe he didn’t think that attack through all the way.

Sleipnir quickly approached and Loki was extremely grateful that the loyal steed hadn’t ventured far from him. Loki landed on the back of the eight-legged horse and hugged his neck tight. “Am I glad to see you,” he whispered in his ear. “We need to find Sif.” Loki closed his eyes and concentrated on tracking Sif. The ring he’d given her did a multitude of things and one of them allowed him to find her location -- a very useful ability considering their travels through the various worlds.

Loki found a heading and directed Sleipnir toward Sif and her flying dragon opponent. As he drew near her he pulled out his bone whistle, a sharp piercing sound emitted from it. He could hear an answering whistle just past a forest of twisted skeletal trees.


	3. Part III

Chapter Seven:

It wasn't easy for one to try and to stay astride the back of a fire breathing dragon, much less making an attempt to direct it's flight. However, Sif tried to do just that and once she saw the bleached out trees of a forest in the distance that became her preferred destination. Though,as they approached she worried about the wisdom of that decision. It seemed like countless ways to find herself impaled. 

She heard Loki's whistle in the distance. Her stomach seemed to be swarmed by butterflies at the realization that her companion hadn't been picked off by the harpies -- at least not yet. She hadn't realized that she'd been worried about losing him. He may have been untrustworthy and deceitful, but for better or worse he was the best friend she had in this cold, inhospitable world.

Sif stuck her blade into the dragon's spine and tried to direct it into a landing position hoping the beasts body would take the brunt of the impact amongst the dead trees. The dragon let forth a burst of angry, fiery breath and cleared a track amongst the forest. It landed roughly and upon placing his feet on the ground began to violently whip around head and tail trying to dislodge Sif from it's back. She blew her whistle in answer to Loki's. Hopefully, the Trickster would be able to join her in conquering the beast. He could use his Mind Stone to influence the dragon. Perhaps Hela would appreciate such a gift and give them Balder without further bargaining.

A thick sheet of ice began to form around the dragon. Sif was quick to leap off its back tucking herself into a roll as she hit the ground that had recently been cleared of debris. The ring from Loki glowed a violent red instead of the calm green she'd grown accustomed to and she realized it must have a magical protective spell.

The fire-breathing dragon was completely encased in a thick crust of ice and yet Sif walked unharmed next to it. The earth she walked upon crunched under the pressure of her booted feet. The entire area was iced over all save for Sif herself. She pulled out her whistle and blew into it once more. It wasn't long before Loki approaching riding Sleipnir.

"Be careful of the ice," Sif warned. "Out of nowhere the dragon was enshrouded by a blanket of ice."

"And yet, you are unharmed," Loki said coming off Sleipnir's back and leaving the horse just outside of the copse of trees. "This area is known for its deadly ice blasts. You are lucky to have escaped unharmed."

"I doubt if luck had anything to do with it," Sif said. She used her sword to prod the dragon gently in the side. "I had hoped you could use your Mind Stone to encourage the dragon to transport us to Hela's Palace. I don't suppose that will work now. How did you find Sleipnir?"

"He wasn't far from us," Loki said. He gazed about the trees. "The ice is already starting to melt," he observed. The barren trees were coated in ice, but beads of sweat accumulated amongst their branches and trunks. "This freeze comes and goes in cycles. I believe your idea is a sound one." He took his scepter and the blue stone at its end glowed brightly as he directed it towards the frozen dragon's unblinking eyes. "This actually works to out advantage. You were lucky," he said glancing up briefly. His hard hair had fallen across his eyes and his brilliant green eyes were a lovely contrast.

Sif shook her head violently. She wasn't about to see Loki as handsome. He was a means to an end. It didn't matter that when he wasn't being diabolical that he was quite clever and a fine looking Asgardian.

"What troubles you, Lady Sif?" Loki asked, his dark brows were knitted together in concern.

Sif quickly sheathed her sword and stepped back from the dragon. "Nothing," she murmured when it became apparent he was waiting for her answer.

"Sleipnir doesn't enjoy spending time near Hela. They have a bit of a sibling rivalry thing going on," Loki said as he concentrated on his task.

Sif had a hard time processing his words. Was he saying that the horse and the goddess of the underworld were siblings? Half of what Loki said didn't make sense. It was best not to ponder his riddles too deeply. At least, that had been Thor's advise. However, the god of a thunder had been fooled by Loki's false death.

"Do you think we will make it to Hela's palace before nightfall?"

"Time is different here, but we aren't far and especially having a dragon for our means of travel will shorted the distance even more."

The dragon's flesh began to glow red and the ice encasing it began to melt and steam. Sif backed away cautiously, but Loki remained at the front of the beast. "Maybe you should back up, just in case," she suggested.

"Your concern is noted," Loki said. He had his scepter directed toward the dragon's eyes and by the time the ice was melted in its entirety the dragon's eyes were glazed in blue. "Our chariot awaits," he said gesturing toward the dragon's neck with his scepter. "And I am grateful you didn't damage the goods too much in your earlier joyride," Loki said as he sat behind her on the dragon's back. "Herbert also is grateful that you didn't severe his spine. He'd have eaten you with his last breath if you had."

"Herbert?" Sif asked.

"It's our dragon's name. He wanted me to pass on his gratitude. Though he does warn that if my influence wavers he will roast us both and eat us in a heartbeat," Loki continued pleasantly. His arms banded around her waist and he sat very close. Sif would have complained, but she didn't want to risk him falling off and angering Herbert.

OoO

It was fairly easy to hold Herbert the fire-breathing dragon under the control of the Mind Stone. What was difficult was for Loki to stay calm after Sif’s near death experience. The foolish warrior woman hadn’t the faintest idea how close she truly had been to becoming a frozen statue for Hela to add to her collection. If he hadn’t had the foresight to give her that protective ring she’d be dead right now instead of flying about on a dragon heading straight for the heart of the underworld.

He prided himself on his ability to bargain, but even his sly tongue would have been powerless against certain powers. He noticed the flocks of crows flying along their route, or rather a murder of crows as was the proper name for a flock of such birds. They were the eyes of Hela so there was no doubt that she was aware of their presence. It would be hard for the ruler of the underworld not to notice a a trio of living souls in her realm of the dead. He’d sent Sleipnir off toward a less violent section of the realm. They would reconvene after they’d collected Balder.

“Do you think Hela knows we are here?” Sif asked glancing at him over her shoulder. Her dark hair whipped violently in the wind as their dragon soared through the air. He didn’t mind her hair flying about them as long as it didn’t hit him in the face. So far, he’d been spared from such attacks. 

“There is no doubt that the mistress of this world knows of our presence,” Loki said. And he wouldn’t be surprised if they didn’t make it to the palace before Hela graced them with her presence.

Speak of the devil, he thought to himself. The gray, smokey sky began to darken to a deep purple green color. The dragon was surrounded in the smokey mist and suddenly they were no longer flying in the sky. They were inside an onyx castle in the middle of a great hall.

Hela in all her magesty paced before them. Her skin was as onyx as the castle, she wore a cloak of green the same color that Loki favored, her body was encased in a skin-tight green sleeveless dress that had a skirt that dragged upon the floor as she moved trailing behind her like a silky tail. Upon her dark hair was a crown with two stag horns, also like Loki’s but in all green. 

“Why do you trespass? Your hearts still beat and your lungs still fill. Have you come to beg an early end to your miserable lives?” Hela rasped. Her voice was akin to that of a heavy smoker.

“We bring you an offering, honorable Hela” Sif said, leaping off the dragon and falling to her knee before the goddess of death.

“Ah, Sif, the woman who would be a warrior. You toy with death often, do you wish to meet it so soon?” Hela asked circling about her.

“We are bringing you the dragon Herbert as a gift, Hela,” Loki said sliding off the dragon’s back to the floor, but remaining on his feet. He did bow his head in respect to the goddess. “We have come to ask a boon of you.”

“Oh? A boon? Why should I grant such a thing?” Hela asked, she waved her hand in the air in a circle and a dark green mist surrounding the dragon before it burst into green flames that consumed the beast. “Do not offer me the life of that which is already mine!” she screamed. The dragon was gone. All that remained of Herbert was a pile of ash.

“That was harsh. He was a good dragon,” Loki said with a frown.

“He was a dead creature. He will be reborn of the ash by morning,” Hela said with a shrug. “You, however,” she said standing before Sif and reaching for her chin. She jerked up the woman’s chin with her hand looking directly into her face. “You are alive. You offered yourself to me once before to save the life of Thor. Are you in the mood for the same bargain? It would bring me great pleasure to rob Valhalla of your noble soul.”

“Sif isn’t the trade,” Loki said sharply.

“Oh?” Hela said releasing Sif’s chin. The latter immediately stared back at the ground and didn’t move from her kneeling position. 

“We want Balder. We want to restore him to his rightful position as King of Asgard,” Loki said.

“Asgard has a king. The one-eyed Odin is king. Why do you want my princeling? Why should I give him to you? What have you to offer? Both of you have escaped death, therefore escaped me more than a dozen times each,” Hela said.

“If it is my life that you require then I will gladly pay the toll,” Sif interrupted before Loki could answer.

That stupid selfless woman was going to get herself killed. Hela arched her eyebrow at Loki before turning her attention back to Sif. 

“What is it that you would want?” Loki asked. 

“Slay the serpent Nidhogg. He eats the corpses of Niffleheim and when there are not enough corpses for him he gnaws on the roots of the World Tree Yggarasil,” Hela said.

The task was impossible. The serpent was nearly as ancient as the World Tree itself. “Another suggestion perhaps,” Loki answered.

“Very well. I suppose without the aid of Thor such a task is impossible for the likes of you,” Hela agreed.

Loki bit his tongue to hold back his retort. Even the Mighty Thor wouldn’t stand a chance against that serpent. “How about something a bit more realistic? The dragon was not to your satisfaction, would something else suffice?”

“I need a pet. Something that will die, but be reborn without my interference,” Hela said. 

A riddle — great. That was Loki’s speciality. “If Sif and I can find you such a creature you will give us Balder?” he asked.

Hela laughed, it was a dark rumble of bells. “Of course not! I shall keep the Lady Sif until you bring me such a creature. You have two weeks time by the counting of Midgard. However, I shall grant you the aid of the prince you seek. Balder shall help you on your quest.” Hela flicked her hand into the air and the prince of Asgard as he was remembered appeared before them. At the same moment that he appeared, Sif was surrounded by a stone cage, a chain around her neck and manacles at her wrists and ankles. 

Loki grit his teeth to keep from crying out his outrage. “What happens if I don’t return within the allotted time?”

“You keep the would-be king regardless,” Hela said having grown bored of the situation. She pulled up a chair in front of Sif’s new cell. “I will be content either way.” Hela snapped her fingers and an hour glass appeared on the floor at her feet. “When the last of the sand falls if you have not returned I keep Lady Sif.” She glanced over at Loki. “What says you?”

He would rather trek through the world of flame and fire with Sif than with Balder at his side. However, Hela was being more generous than he anticipated. “I accept your terms,” Loki said with a quick bow. “Sif,” he called. The dark-haired woman turned to him, the chains about her body rattling in the process. “I will be back for you.”

“I promise from the Trickster isn’t something I would hold my breath for, my dear,” Hela said giving Sif a sad smile. 

Loki would make sure that this was one promise he would keep. “Come, Balder,” he said to the beast of a man at his side. He made Thor seem like a runt. 

Balder blinked his cloudy blue eyes and they cleared, but the confusion remained. He looked around at their surroundings and then settling his gaze on Sif. “What is going on?” he demanded.

“I will explain it to you later, King Balder,” Loki said. “We must complete a quest for the goddess Hela so that we might have Lady Sif returned to us.”

“Sif?” Balder called starting toward Sif’s prison. 

Hela stood abruptly and both she and Sif were transported a great distance away to the top of a large stairwell that had materialized in the middle of the great hall.

“Go with Loki, Balder. Work together!” Sif advised. “He is a valuable ally. Trust in him.”

“Trust,” Hela scoffed on a laugh. She shook her head and smiled with a cruel twist of her lips towards Loki. “Your time is running out, father. I suggest you hurry.”

“Wait, Hela, please,” Sif called. “I wish to give Loki something to aid him on his quest.”

The goddess of death rolled her eyes in exacerbation like an annoyed teenager. “Very well,” she said. The cage and chains around Sif vanished and she was transported to stand right in front of Loki at the base of the staircase. 

Sif reached for the strap across her thigh. There was a long dagger sheathed inside the strap. She removed the entire device and handed it to Loki. “I know you have a fabulous dagger, but this one belonged to my father. It has saved my life many times when dangers have been brought too close. Please, take it. I cannot be at your side to help fight against these dangers at least let the spirit of my father protect you.”

“That’s two gifts now, Sif. One might think you’re trying to woo me,” Loki said as he accepted the sheathed blade, his fingers brushed against Sif’s. No sooner had the dagger left Sif’s hands she was transported back to the prison at the top of the stairs latched down by the chains. He held the sheathed blade close to his chest. It was the second gift Sif had given him. This gift, he would return to her though. “Come,” Loki said grabbing Balder’s arm and dragging him out of the palace. He drew his fingers to his lips and whistled as loud as he could. Sleipnir was waiting for them just outside of Hela’s palace. “We must reach Muspelheim.”

“Why would we go there? Why did we leave Lady Sif behind with that woman of death?” Balder asked. His heavy brows were knitted in concern and worry.

“First of all, we left Lady Sif in the hands of the goddess of death. We have a mission and I know how to achieve it, but we must hurry,” Loki said forcing himself to be patient. “Get on the horse. We need to hurry. As you may have noticed we are on a time table.” 

And it was hard enough to find the creature Hela was referring — for only one type of creature existed in the nine realms. It used to venture between the realms, but for many centuries it hadn’t strayed from its home world of fire and flame.

“We will come back for Lady Sif, will we not?” Balder asked.

“Even if we fail to find the creature, we will return,” Loki vowed. Though, knowing Hela that would mean she’d either take his life of Balder’s again. There was very little nepotism when it came to the goddess of death. If Balder was truly meant to be king, he would have to prove himself on their mission. 

Loki would have to console himself by knowing that he gave Sif the soul link ring. As long as he lived, she couldn’t be killed. It was a magic much older than Hela. Hopefully, the goddess of death wouldn’t discover a way to break the magic. And hopefully, Loki didn’t meet death on his mission with Balder to the world of fire and brimstone. If they could just avoid Surtur and his minions and find the appropriate portals between worlds in the allotted amount of time they’d be fine. As the Midgardians were to say it would be a piece of cake.

 

Chapter Eight:

 

Loki didn’t feel comfortable leaving Sif chained up with Hela, but he really didn’t have a choice. He had a very clear-cut goal. Travel to Muspelheim, try not to melt because as a Frost Giant the heat was rather uncomfortable, find a baby phoenix, capture the baby phoenix, and then bring the baby phoenix back with them to Niffleheim. He had a whole two weeks to navigate the realms and find the rare creature. What could go wrong? 

Fortuitously, Hela had been generous enough to guide him to a portal that had a direct link to any realm he wanted to travel. It was one of the few benefits about the realm of the dead — it was directly linked to all the other realms. If he was really lucky, he’d run into his old ally Surtur and they’d still be amiable. The king of Muspelheim had a wondrous sword that could shatter dimensional barriers and deposit them right back into Niffleheim— if he chose to help them.

“It’s going to be a bit warm where we’re going,” Loki said as he led Sleipnir to a halt outside of the portal. 

“I do not understand. You were instrumental in my death, Loki. Why would you resurrect me?” Balder asked. 

It was much nicer sharing his horse with Sif than with Balder. One, she took up less room. Two, she smelled nicer. And three, she didn’t ask annoying questions.

“Bygones and all,” Loki said. “We have to find a baby phoenix and bring it back to Hela in exchange for Sif. Are you going to endanger Sif’s life just because we have a bit of a negative history?”

“Her title is Lady Sif,” Balder corrected. “And you will answer my question before I agree to help you on this quest.”

“Odin has gone mad and fallen to the Odin Sleep in his despair since his wife was murdered and Thor has rejected his birthright to be king,” Loki explained.

“How did mother die?” Balder asked, his face had grown pale as the red flames of Muspelheim glowed against him through the image in the portal behind them.

“She died protecting Thor’s human girlfriend,” Loki explained. He may not have lost sleep over the lives lost during the dark elf invasion, but he did regret most deeply the loss of the one Asgardian that truly loved him — his adopted mother.

“Thor has a human girlfriend? But, how is that possible? He is betrothed to Lady Sif,” Balder said. “He tired of the women of Midgard centuries ago.”

“Not anymore. Thor basically rejected all of Asgard for a human fling — Lady Sif included,” Loki said.

“You could have been king,” Balder said. “Why did you chose this course?”

“Because, I’m the trickster not the king. This may be hard to believe, but I do care about Asgard’s future,” Loki said. And there was also the minor point of being a condemned criminal in their realm of Asgard and in Midgard. He wasn’t too popular in Jotunheim either. Perhaps with a king’s pardon his life would be a little easier for him to pursue entertainment. “Okay, we really are on a time schedule here.”

“Yes, of course. You have changed, Loki. I will help you on this quest for the good of Asgard and for Lady Sif,” Balder agreed.

Loki narrowed his eyes at Balder’s tone. Did the man he intended to instate as king have feelings for Sif? Hopefully, he didn’t try to honor her betrothal because by Asgardian law one brother was equal to the other when it came to promises of marriage. Of course, the rule only applied to blood brothers and not adopted brothers. “All right, just remember, try to avoid the fire demons. They aren’t big fans of Asgardians,” Loki advised.

“Fire demons?”

Loki jumped into the portal before his would-be king could question their destination. The last time Balder had been in Muspelheim, Loki had allied with Surtur to fight against Odin, Thor, and Balder. It had been a brutal battle that had resulted in a stalemate. Surtur was Odin’s equal when it came to power and might. However, Surtur was a bit more intelligent so as a fan of brain over brawn Loki’s money had been on the fire demon lord.

 

OoO

 

Thor left the hospital with a heavy heart and with Darcy’s threatening words still ringing in his ears. It wasn’t that he had injured Jane on purpose. He had just forgotten how frail her mortal body was especially now that he was fully restored to his god-like body. She had sent him away from her, angry at him. He wasn’t sure if that qualified as a lover’s spat or if it was a breakup. Surely, it was the former because he was Thor — God of Thunder. Who wouldn’t want to date him? He stood over the portal in London and waited for a glimpse of his beloved Asgard. Eventually, the golden city of the gods would reveal itself. 

He waited three days before he saw a glimpse of his homeland. Without pause, Thor jumped through the portal and appeared before Heimdall at his watch tower of the Rainbow Bridge.

“Thor Odinson!” Heimdall exclaimed in a mighty rumble. “I have seen you standing watch over the site of Convergence on Midgard. It is good to have you home.”

“What have you been doing, Heimdall?”

“Pardon me, my lord?”

“Your job is to stand watch. You are the Gatekeeper!” Thor roared. He strode up to Heimdall and grabbed the sentinel’s gold-plated shoulder. “Tell me of Sif and Loki’s mission!”

Heimdall glowered down at Thor and the God of Thunder released his grip on the taller man. “Lady Sif and the All Father Odin left Asgard to embark upon a mission. Loki is dead — as you yourself were the witness.”

“Who sits on the throne?” Thor asked incredulous. He knew that it was Loki whom he saw on Midgard alongside Sif.

“Hogan of the Warriors Three. He is of Vanaheim as was your mother Frigga. The Vanir are noble gods and the All Father Odin saw fit to name him as steward in his absence,” Heimdall said. “Why are you here, Thor? Have you not asked leave to live amongst the mortals of Midgard? Until the Convergence has resolved it is not wise to travel between the realms.”

“You would have me stand by while Loki runs amok? And what of Sif? She is being fooled into following him!” Thor shouted. 

“Her name is Lady Sif,” Heimdall growled. “You will do well to remember my sister’s station. Have you no respect for her? Is that why you have tossed aside your betrothal to her in favor of a frail mortal?”

“Do you not hear me? Lady Sif is traveling between realms with Loki,” Thor said. “If he appeared to you as the All Father, then where is Odin?”

“Verily, Thor, if you were so concerned with matters of Asgard perhaps you should not have abandoned your people. It is possible that in his misguided fashion Loki is trying to fix the damage he has done to Asgard,” Heimdall said. “I am not blind. I did not see past Loki’s disguise at first, but I have seen through it since. I have watched him fight alongside my sister valiantly. Their goal is noble. I see all. And I know why you have truly come back to Asgard like a dog with his tail between his legs.”

Thor hadn’t felt so properly scolded since he was a child being lectured by his father for carelessness. Of course Heimdall knew why he spent the last three days standing outside the site of Convergence on Midgard. He’d been told to leave Jane Foster’s hospital bedside. They had finally consummated their relationship and he’d fractured her pelvis. He had no idea she was so frail. But, his feelings for the human hadn’t changed. He still loved her because she loved him when he was weak and in exile. All others have only followed him because of his strength. To Jane he was not future king of Asgard, he was just a man that liked pancakes.

“When was the last time you spent so much time amongst the mortals of Midgard?” Heimdall asked.

Thor thought back and considered the passing of days using the time of Midgard. He spent a great deal of time amongst the Nordic men. “I would wager twelve hundred years ago. I slept with hundreds of mortal women. Never have I injured one so greatly.”

“And who exactly have you shared your bed with for the last one thousand years?” Heimdall asked. His eyes flashed dangerously. The subject was starting to become decisively uncomfortable.

“My betrothed,” Thor mumbled. “Your lovely sister, Lady Sif.”

“Your former betrothed — do not think our family will honor that promise now. Lady Sif is an Asgardian goddess. One of the toughest creatures to have ever been born amongst the nine realms. She is the Shield Maiden of Asgard. Did you think some Midgardian mortal woman would be able to withstand the same force as her?” Heimdall reached up and massaged his temples. “This conversation is giving me a terrible headache. It’s like Superman in the comics. Do you think Lois Lane could handle Superman’s baby? Of course not! Wonder Woman — a demi-goddess of Olympia — is the only woman capable of handling his strength.”

“I do not know this Superman,” Thor said furrowing his brows in deep thought. 

“That is because I am The Watcher and you are not,” Heimdall said. “What do you want to know?”

“Surely, Loki and Lady Sif came to you with their mission. Even knowing so many portals between realms the Bifrost is the preferable means of travel,” Thor said.

“They wished to journey to Niffleheim,” Heimdall said with a sigh. 

“The world of the dead? Why? Do you know when the Bifrost will work? I must find them!” Thor declared gripping his hammer tightly.

“The previous Convergence was before my time. My vision is clouded when I try to find an exact length of time. My best guess would be an Earth year,” Heimdall said.

“I must find them!” Thor declared.

“Thor, this is no business of yours. You have chosen to devote yourself to Midgard. Let Asgard take care of Asgard and go back to your lady friend and your Midgard friends. And mind your strength,” Heimdall advised. “You are welcome to visit Asgard once the Rainbow Bridge works properly.”

“Perhaps I can ask Jane Foster if she would like to live in Asgard,” Thor said thoughtfully. Then he would be there to make sure the realm recovered from the recent war. 

“As what role? Would you try to reclaim your title as crowned prince?” Heimdall asked. “You most certainly cannot be king with a Midgardian wife.”

“Father married a goddess of Vanaheim,” Thor argued.

“So that makes you half Asgardian and half Vanir yourself,” Heimdall reasoned. “Both are considered gods. If you bring a human to serve as your queen it will be a great insult to all of Asgard.”

“Then I’ll marry Lady Sif and take Jane as my concubine,” Thor decided.

“No, you won’t,” Heimdall rumbled. Thor was promptly reminded that aside from being the Watchman and Gatekeeper that Heimdall was the God of Rain. “Do not speak so disrespectfully of my sister. I have enough energy to send you to Midgard.”

“I thought the Bifrost didn’t function,” Thor said.

“It doesn’t function well. It still works, but it takes a great deal of energy to do the simplest of tasks. I could not transport Lady Sif and Loki to the underworld, of Niffleheim but I can send you back to Midgard.”

Thor felt torn. 

Heimdall turned to the Bifrost abruptly, his eyes clouded over. “We have a visitor,” he announced.

Hela, the mistress of the underworld appeared before them. The Goddess of Death wore a solid green dress and a helm atop her head with horns. Her fingernails were black and long. She smiled at them with a blend of coy and malice. “Gentlemen,” she greeted in a silky voice.

“Lady Hela,” Heimdall answered. “What brings you to Asgard?”

She began to circle around Thor, he could feel the hairs on his arm standing on end. It had been many centuries since he’d last seen the goddess. The last time he’d seen her Sif had bargained her life to save him from certain death. Sif’s friend Brunnhilde had appeared and saved them both by sacrificing herself — not for Thor, but for Sif.   
Brunnhilde had been held in a state of limbo for almost nine centuries before she was freed. She now prowled outer space with the Defenders of the Universe. “What would you do to help Asgard, Thor Odinson?”

“What I need to do,” Thor answered. “Why did Loki and Sif seek you out?”

“Lord Loki and Lady Sif had business with me,” Hela answered cryptically. “How bad do you want to know the answer to that question?”

“Do not speak in riddles to me,” Thor warned.

“My father is the king of riddles. It’s in my blood,” Hela answered. “I can heal your human. It is not beyond my skills. Would you like that?”

He would very much like for Jane to no longer be in pain and to not be afraid of being physical with him. Nothing with Hela was done without cost. He didn’t answer. The answer was obvious that he did want that.

“Lady Sif has requested that a third help her companion in his quest. She wanted Valkryie, but I do not wish to trouble Brunnhilde. I have chosen you. Do you accept?” Hela asked.

If he accepted the offer he could make up his betrayal to Sif and have Jane healed. If the only risk was his own life there was no reluctance. “What is their quest?”

“I cannot tell you that,” Hela said. “Do you agree to be the third?”

He looked toward Heimdall, but he merely gazed back at him without emotion. Older brothers didn’t forgive easily the men that betrayed their baby sisters. 

“I will agree,” Thor said.

A twisted smile curled Hela’s lips. “Excellent.” 

 

OoO

 

“Might I ask that another warrior aid Loki and Balder?” Sif asked Hela.

“Why? Do you feel that the man you wish to instate as the future king of Asgard isn’t capable of a simple quest?” Hela asked.

“I would feel most comfortable if it was a quest of three instead of two. Three is a lucky number,” Sif explained.

“Let me guess. You would like Thor to join them then?” Hela asked.

“No, I would ask that Brunnhilde, or Valkyrie as she is now known, were to join them,” Sif said. 

“Valkyrie is beyond my borders,” Hela said dismissively. “However, there is one that knocks on the door of this realm. Perhaps we shall see what he has to say, hm?”

Hela vanished in a mist of green fog. Sif shifted inside her cage, the metal chains about her wrists, ankles, and neck seemed to tighten and she could feel bruises forming. She sat lotus-style on the floor and the chains loosened. Hela materialized in front of her cage once more, but this time with a very familiar blond male in tow.

“Thor?” Sif asked. She resisted the urge to rise to her feet knowing that the chains would bite into her flesh again.

“Lady Sif? What is the meaning of this?” Thor said clutching the bars of her cage. He glared at Hela briefly before crouching so that he was on an even level with Sif. “What sort of wager did you make, Sif?” he asked quietly.

“One that will be worth it, I pray,” Sif said closing her eyes. It was too painful to look into Thor’s face and to see his handsome features creased in worry for her. The confident man was long absent from the red-caped hero before her. “Why are you here?”

“I came to find you. Why would you join a quest with Loki of all people? He cannot be trusted!” Thor reached his hand through the bars and his warm fingers caressed Sif’s cheek. He grabbed her jaw firmly in his hand. “Look at me, please.” Sif reluctantly opened her eyes to look at him directly. 

“Go back to Midgard. The matters of Asgard are no longer your concern,” Sif hissed jerking her chin out of his grasp, rattling her chains in the process.

Thor stood, and turned to face Hela. “There is no need to chain her. Please. Release Lady Sif. You may have me in her stead.”

Hela had watched the exchange from a stone throne made of the blackest of onyx. She crossed her legs regally and then began to laugh. “The foolish God of Thunder seems to think his soul is more valuable to me than that of the woman warrior? Why it seems everyone is willing to trade themselves for her — you, Loki, Brunnhilde. I’m sure Heimdall would if I were to ask him.”

Thor looked back to Sif in a panic, but she averted her gaze. She didn’t want to see his blue eyes swimming with such intense emotions. “Go back to your Jane Foster, Thor.”

“Oh, yes, go back to the broken human!” Hela said with a cackling laugh. “Or maybe Jane doesn’t want you anymore. Is that the case? Would you like to tell the Lady Sif — your most loyal friend and former betrothed and lover at least until you up and left her — what happened on earth with you and the Lady Jane?”

It hurt to hear Hela recite Thor’s betrayal of Sif’s heart aloud. However, it took a great deal to make the goddess of death laugh. What could be so funny? Sif turned her attention back to Thor. His cheeks were flaming red. What could embarrass the favored son of Asgard?

“I am sorry, Lady Sif. I did not realize how badly I have wronged you. I was so infatuated and in love with the human. She made me feel things I’ve never felt outside of the thrill of battle,” Thor said mirroring her stance and sitting cross-legged outside of her cage. His hands rested upon his knees and he leaned close.

“Then go back to her, Thor,” Sif said coldly. If a thousand years of loyalty together as lovers and warriors wasn’t enough to keep Thor interested then there was nothing she could do. Though, she should be proud. Before their time together Thor slept with a third of the woman of Midgard, many in Asgard and Vanaheim and during their ten centuries only her — at least to her knowledge, but now she wasn’t so sure. Perhaps there was more to Brunnhilde’s refusal to visit Asgard since she’d been freed from Hela’s imprisonment. Sif would never ask her friend, but she had her suspicions. She was renown for her observational skills — it made her an excellent hunter and warrior.

“I cannot, she is in the hospital and refuses to see me,” Thor admitted. His cheeks were still red. Perhaps it was shame and not embarrassment that colored his skin in such a hue.

“Thor here, broke his human woman’s pelvis!” Hela said on a laugh. Her throne vanished and she was suddenly next to Sif and the cage and the chains were gone. They were at the top of a set of stairs and Thor was at the base. Hela put her arm around Sif’s waist and leaned into her as if they were old girlfriends. “I suppose little frail Jane Foster couldn’t handle Thor’s thrusts quite like you could, eh Sif?” Hela left Sif’s side and was in front of Thor. She gripped his shoulders tightly and stared at him. “You broke your new bedwarmer and wanted to track down your old bedwarmer? Is that it, Thor Odinson?”

“I was worried about Sif,” Thor mumbled. “I worry about Loki betraying her and now that I see her here I see my worries were justified!” 

“You are so boring,” Hela said releasing Thor and pacing about the room. “Loki would never betray Sif. Unlike you, he’s been in love with her since he was a child.”

Sif couldn’t believe her ears. Loki was in love with her? Surely, Hela spoke falsely. 

“You lie,” Thor growled, gripping his hammer tightly.

“Why would I?” Hela challenged.

“What bargain did they make you?” Thor asked. “I wish to trade places with Sif. You may keep me hostage in her stead.”

“Maybe I don’t want you,” Hela said. “At least if I were to keep the Lady Sif my company would be interesting. And think of how many mighty Asgardians would come to my halls to visit with her? Why you and Loki have both ventured here today!”

Hela materialized back at Sif’s side. “How about him? I have no influence on Brunnhilde for she is in outer space in the realm of Midgard and that is beyond my borders. Thor, however, is right here. Would you accept him as the third member of the quest?”

“Yes,” Sif agreed. She still loved Thor, but it was too painful to be reminded of how easy she was replaced. Jane made him feel love? What did she make him feel then? And the idea that Loki was in love with her was too much. 

“What quest?” Thor demanded. 

“Why, the quest to reinstate Balder as king,” Hela said. 

“But, Balder my older brother has been dead for many centuries,” Thor said, his golden eyebrows drawn together in confusion.

“And I am the Goddess of the Death,” Hela said with a dramatic roll of her eyes. She looked up at Sif. “If he is truly this dense you are better off without him.”

“I will join in this quest,” Thor agreed. “Please, let me speak with Sif once more.”

“Very well,” Hela said with an annoyed flourish of her hand. Thor and Sif stood facing one another at the top of the stairs.

“I will make this right, Sif,” Thor said softly. He reached for her hands. Sif kept her hands limp in his grasp. “The lives of the Midgardians are short in comparison to ours. After Jane passes from life I will return to you.”

“It is too late,” Sif said as she yanked her hands out of his grasp. He was lucky she didn’t have her dagger any more or else she’d have been tempted to ram it into his gut. “I will not be a consolation prize. You should have chosen me! I have fought beside you in countless battles and I have been your lover for centuries and your betrothed since we were children. You betrayed not only me, but all of Asgard by abandoning us as you have. You denied your right to the throne when Odin was too distraught to continue his rule so you could have a dalliance on earth. The task of leadership fell to Loki under the guise of Odin because our king has fallen into the Odinsleep once more in his depression. Did he shirk his responsibilities? No. Did he want to keep the throne? No. He wanted to restore the rightful ruler for Asgard. So we have ventured to Hel to restore Balder as king.”

“Sif, I…” Thor started, but Hela separated the two of them. Sif remained at the top of the stairs and Thor at the base.

Hela was examining her nails with a bored expression. “I believe it’s time you go help your brothers then,” she said to Thor. “I don’t believe Lady Sif will be impressed by whatever petty words might come out of your mouth.”

 

Chapter Nine:

 

Had Balder always been so stupid? Loki’s plan had been somewhat fool proof and yet the would-be-king managed to blunder it royally. Absently, Loki’s hand fell to the hilt of the dagger that Sif had given him. Though, the question was, should he stab Balder for being an idiot or should he find a way to rescue the hot-headed fool?

And to make matters worse the heat of Muspelheim was nearly unbearable. They’d run across many fire demons, but they paid them no mind having recognized their king’s ally. Loki and Balder had been making excellent time in fact. Until Balder decided to investigate a cave where the sound of screeching and screaming could be heard from some tortured souls inside. Loki had advised that they move one and mind their own business — they had a quest of their own.

However, the would-be king had other ideas. He’d gone off half-charged into the bowels of the cave and gotten himself captured by some minor demons. Loki stood at the mouth of the cave in indecision. The whole purpose of the quest was to reinstate Balder as the crown prince and future king, but now he was sent rescuing the battle-crazed Asgardian. Balder had somewhat of a chip on his shoulder as he’d not been sent to Valhalla. He’d not died valiantly in battle so it was as if he were determined to do so now and forget that Sif’s life was on the line if they failed to bring back the phoenix.

The air next to Loki stirred.

And to make things even more hellish, Thor Odinson appeared crouched beside him with one knee on the ground and his hand firmly gripping the handle of his trusty Mjolnir. His brother looked up at him with lightning bolts flashing in his blue eyes. 

“Strange place to meet,” Loki commented. His right hand once more rested upon the hilt of Sif’s dagger while his left hand held his scepter in a white knuckled grip.

“Hela sent me,” Thor said as he rose to his feet and towered over Loki from his two inch height advantage.

“Now why would she do that? Is she hoping you’ll die and soon join her ranks of the dead?” Loki asked.

“No, I’m here because Sif pleaded that Hela provide a third for this quest of yours,” Thor said. “Naturally, she thought of me.”

Loki grit his teeth at the idea that Sif had so little confidence in him that she’d beg of Hela to allow Thor’s assistance. Even when he tried to do a good thing he was forced to share the glory with Asgard’s favored son. “Is that so?” he asked. He forced his grip on his scepter to relax and moved his other hand away from Sif’s dagger. 

“Where is Balder?” Thor asked, looking around their environment. “And why are we in the land of fire and sulfur?”

“We’re looking for a phoenix bird to return to Hela. And our brother so newly brought back to life decided to take a side adventure regardless of our time limit on our quest,” Loki explained. “We heard the sound of tortured souls from deep within this cave and without a plan of action the idiot rushed inside. He was promptly over powered and captured. I’m currently trying to decide what to do.”

“We must go and rescue him!” Thor declared. “What is there to decide?”

“There are many things to decide. The how to go about such things would be the first and foremost. Should not our king be able to keep himself from being captured so easily?” Loki asked. “I am starting to question my choice in father’s successor.”

“And why did you not don the mantle yourself? Is it not something you always wanted?” Thor asked. “You were always envious of my birthright.”

“Technically, I am the son of Laufy, King of the Frost Giants. So, it was also my birthright to be a king. Believe it or not, but I do not wish to be king. I enjoy power, but my enjoyment of it is fleeting. It is more the challenge of acquiring power that I seek.”

Thor tapped his hammer against his shoulder casually. “You make fine points. Perhaps I should reclaim my right to be king.”

“Do you want to be king or do you want to save Balder? Hela has already restored him to life. The point of this quest is to free Sif from Hela’s imprisonment. The original quest I shared with Sif has already been completed. We recovered Balder,” Loki said.

“Except now Balder has gotten himself captured,” Thor pointed out.

“And I am determined to finish the quest to save Lady Sif,” Loki said.

“I will not have Lady Sif kept under Hela’s possession. I offered to take her stead, but Hela would not have it,” Thor explained. “I trust you not, Loki. Every time that I have put my faith in you I have been rewarded with betrayal.”

“Fine, do not trust me, but we must work together if we are to succeed in saving Sif,” Loki said.

“But, first, we must save Balder. Sif would not accept either of us if we managed to free her and yet failed to keep Balder safe for taking his place as king,” Thor pointed out. 

“No she would not, and no one holds a grudge quite like our Lady Sif,” Loki said.

“Very true,” Thor said. “Of which I am obviously on the receiving end at present.”

“Oh? Is Sif angry at you for betraying your promise to her?” Loki asked.

“I do not see as how it is any of your business,” Thor growled.

“Do not mistake yourself by thinking you are the only one that cares about Sif,” Loki answered with a snarl. “Now, be silent. If we’re going to sneak into this cave I’d prefer not to announce our presence with a shouting match.”

“You’re the one talking,” Thor whispered.

Loki glared at him with narrowed eyes and raised his index finger to his lips to indicate silence. They moved carefully through the tunnels and stayed close to the shadows. Loki used his skill with illusion to mask both his and Thor’s presence in darkness. They followed the sound of screams. 

He did not expect to find an inner cavern with red and gold tapestries displayed over the walls, pillows littered across the floor, and a score of Sultur’s daughters strutting about the space scantily clad with leather whips in their hands. Loki could feel Thor stiffen at his side. Apparently his big brother hadn’t seen the King of Muspelheim’s tempting daughters — a product of his plethora of wives. The seductresses varied in shape, size, and color — some were tall, some petite, some quite rotund and in every shade of the rainbow. However, Sultur’s daughters’ beauty was unrivaled by their cruelty. 

Chained to the walls were examples of their playthings. They were particularly partial to the light elves of Alfheim. Such creatures were rare in the fiery depths of Muspelheim, but with the Convergence their odds greatly increased. Four such species of elves were chained to the walls — only one remained alive. His voice a hoarse rasp from his earlier screams. 

Thor started to rush to the elf’s side, but Loki gripped Thor by the shoulder and stayed his motion. They needed to observe.

“Oh sisters! An Asgardian has come to our halls!” a yellow skinned demoness with a tail twice as long as her body, and hair a vibrant red cried out. She ran the leather tassels of her bloodstained whip across Balder’s chest leaving a red trail in its wake across his tunic. “He’s a pretty one,” she said with a cruel twist of her lips. “I’ll see if I can remedy this.”

“Ladies!” Loki shouted, appearing before them and hoping that they recognized him as their father’s ally. “I am Loki, the great King Sultur’s loyal ally. I ask that you not harm the Asgardian before you.”

“And why should we do as you ask, Trickster?” a blue-skinned demoness hissed, her forked tongue slithering past her green lips. “We found him in our halls. He is ours.”

“He is my pawn and I will need him if I am to be of further use to your father. Sultur will be displeased if you risk our alliance for a plaything,” Loki said holding his hands out in a placating manner. 

“How about a trade?” the yellow-skinned demoness asked. She raised her whip to her lips and licked the blood from it’s tassels. “What is the blonde one to you? I could enjoy his company.”

“Yes,” the blue-skinned demoness hissed. “We could make you feel very wanted, blonde one. What says you? We are but two of two-thousand sisters. I am sure you can satisfy us like none of these weak elves can. You are of Asgard!”

“Oh Morticia,” the yellow demoness sighed. “You would forget out dear sisters?”

“Why should we not have our own Asgardian, Horroria?” Morticia, the blue demoness asked. She gestured toward the other demoness. “Our sisters have already broken our elf plaything. Why should we share with them?”

“My heart belongs to only one and she is not you, but a gentle heart and a noble soul. Release Balder now, witches,” Thor rumbled. He raised his hammer and stood with his legs apart in a battle stance. 

Loki sighed. “Alas, if I could spare him I would gladly trade one Asgardian for another, but he is not mine to trade.”

“Trickster Frost Giant, you lie,” Morticia screamed. She moved faster than the eye could follow and a moment later stood directly in front of Loki. She ran a clawed finger down the side of his face drawing blood. “I will take both Asgardians. You may leave with your life. That is my offer.”

“Enough!” Thor growled, he swung his hammer directly toward the yellow demoness Horroria and knocked her away from Balder.

Loki dissolved the illusion of himself, breathing heavily with the effort of creating such a realistic image and anticipating the need for a bloody wound. He used the Mind Stone of his scepter and placed the blue-skinned demoness Morticia under his control. She quickly contained her sister Horroria and chained her to the walls, her enchanted blue eyes flashing all the while. “Daughters of Sultur hear me, allow us to leave unhindered and the rest of you shall remain of your own free will!” Then Morticia chained herself to the walls. 

“You do not control us, Trickster,” a pink-fleshed demoness with butterfly wings said flying into the air.

Thor raised Mjolnir once more, but Loki gave him a look to stay his hand a second time. “Daughters of Sultur, I command you to sleep!” Like flies the demonesses collapsed to the ground. The two chained sisters fell unconscious as well.

“Violence is not always the answer,” Loki admonished Thor. He drew near Balder’s unconscious form and checked his pulse. He was still alive — for now. His lips were a blue discoloration. If Loki remembered his studies accurately the blue-skinned demons of Muspelheim used a mild toxin to sedate their prey. It would wear off in time, but usually that was little consolation to their victims as normally they’d have been eaten long before they’d have awoken.

“Perhaps not, but it is efficient,” Thor argued. He moved to the whimpering light elf chained to the wall and snapped the chain with his bare hands. 

“What are you doing?” Loki asked. He wasn’t as strong as Thor, but he was not lightweight. He lifted Balder over his shoulder in what the mortals referred to as a fireman’s carry.

“Taking him with us,” Thor said. He slung the elf’s arm over his shoulders and held him up with a strong arm around his waist. 

Loki narrowed his eyes. Saving wayward elves wasn’t on the agenda. 

“Thank you, for saving me,” the blond-haired, blue-eyed, pale skinned elf said. His fine clothing was in tatters, but at least his boots were in fine condition. He wore a yellow cloak, a ruffled shirt, dark leather boots, and two empty pistols strapped across his belt. He looked toward his dead brethren with a sadness in his eyes that only the elves of Alfheim could show. It was said that if you stared into the eyes of a light elf that you’d see the empty isolation of eternity. 

“What is your name, friend?” Thor asked. 

“Sir Ivory Honeyshot, Lord of Longrose Hall,” he said through bloody clenched teeth. “My hat, please.” Ivory pointed toward a cowboy hat with a bright red feather tucked in the brim. 

Loki crouched down, still supporting Balder’s weight. He snatched up the hat and tossed it toward Thor and the light elf. “No more delays. We’re not here to play the hero.”

Thor sent Loki a look of pittance. “But, Loki, that’s exactly why we are here.” They stepped over the unconscious forms of Sultur’s daughters. Loki could only hope that their father wouldn’t be too upset about the dispute. He still would need his help to return to Hela’s realm during the allotted time frame.

 

OoO

 

Sif relaxed against a stone pillar inside Hela’s palace with her ankles crossed before her. She chewed on her thumb nail in agitation and tried to not think too much upon her reunion with Thor. The news that Loki had very sincere feelings for her was something else she didn’t want to think about. Her poor thumb nail had been chewed to the quick as a result.

“So, what shall we do will all our time?” Hela asked as she paced in front of Sif. “The three bothers have two weeks to do their quest, but time is meaningless in a place like this. Two weeks could feel like twenty years if I so choose it.”

“I would prefer you not chose to make the days longer. I am poorly equipped when patience is required,” Sif said. “Do you intend to heal Jane Foster?”

Hela shrugged. “It is nothing to me. Would you care to accompany me to Midgard? Shall we pay a little visit to Thor’s broken lover?”

A visit with the woman that replaced her in Thor’s heart wasn’t high on Sif’s agenda, but even that would be better than spending any more time than necessary in the pits of Hel. She had hopes that after the current quest that she might never visit the halls of Nifelheim again. Her soul was marked for Valhalla.

“Let us visit with Jane Foster,” Sif said. 

“It’s so much easier when you agree,” Hela said. She appeared at Sif’s side and took hold of her arm in a strong grip, her fingernails dug deep into her flesh and drew blood. Sif grit her teeth to keep from crying out from the pain. She’d had worse, but pain was always painful no matter your tolerance. “Let’s be off then,” Hela said. 

The world seemed to collapse in on itself and everything was green. Sif closed her eyes to try and ease the nausea that threatened to overwhelm her. And then she felt her feet land on solid ground and the air smelled of crisp outdoors and a lush garden. She opened her eyes to see that she and Hela stood in the midst of a garden in the realm of Midgard. Her warrior’s armor and Hela’s majestic robes had been transformed in the wardrobe of the people of Midgard.

The blue jeans upon Sif’s legs were harsh as starch, the boots upon her feet were tolerable but of an inferior leather compared to her dragon soled boots. She wore a blue jean jacket over a red halter top. She liked the top — it revealed her muscular abdominal muscles. She glanced at Hela as the goddess of death pulled her long dark hair into a high pony tail. She wore an elegant green silky sheath of a dress that fell to her knees. Her feet wore impractical black strapped healed shoes.

“What is this place?” Sif asked.

“Do you like it?” Hela asked instead of answering. She reached down and ran her fingertips over a patch of colorful pansies. 

“It is peaceful,” Sif said. She wasn’t used to appreciating things of beauty. Her priorities had always been to ensure the safety of the realm so that others might appreciate the beauty of peace, home, and hearth. 

“We are in the gardens of the London hospital where Jane Foster is recovering,” Hela answered. “Come, let us play Thor’s mortal a visit.”

Sif followed after Hela. The goddess of death walked with purpose into the hospital, no staff looked at her a second time. Had she made them invisible to mortal eyes? Sif felt nervous about seeing Jane. The human woman herself was fairly likable, but she couldn’t help but feel a jealous rage in regards to her. Ten centuries of her relationship with Thor had been deemed obsolete after he spent a few days with the mortal learning how to make pancakes and scrambled eggs. Did Thor truly prefer cooking breakfast with Jane to slaying fiends with her?

“Here we are, room 407,” Hela announced. They stood outside of a corner room at the end of the hall on the fourth floor of the hospital. “She’s all alone right now. Her friends are in the cafeteria. Shall we?”

“We shall,” Sif agreed. Hela opened the door and Sif followed her inside of the room. It was a private room. Jane Foster sat up in her hospital bed with IV lines strapped to her arm and fluids flowing into her blood vessels. She was reading a magazine that quickly fell out of her limp hands upon spotting the two Asgardians inside her room.

“Um, hello,” Jane said nervously. “Sif, I’m surprised to see you here. Would you like to introduce me to your friend?”

“Jane Foster, this is Hela the Goddess of Death. Hela, this is Jane Foster — Thor’s chosen human,” Sif said by way of introduction. Jane’s dark eyes grew wide and her pupils constricted. Sif took no joy in the human’s obvious terror, but at least it meant she wasn’t a fool. If one wasn’t terrified in the presence of death then one was a complete idiot.

Hela moved to the chair next to Jane’s bed and sat in it, crossing her legs at the knees and leaning forward. “That looks like a rather embarrassing injury you have there, Jane Foster.”

“I’ll heal,” Jane said. She cast a pleading look in Sif’s direction.

Sif sat on the foot of Jane’s bed. The human wasn’t only weak, but ridiculously short. There was plenty of space at the edge of the bed. “Hela isn’t here to hurt you, Jane. In fact, she is here on quite the opposite intentions. In reward for Thor’s participation in a quest of mine she has agreed to heal you of your injury.”

“That’s a very kind offer,” Jane said. “But I don’t want you to endanger Thor for my sake.”

“Tell you what, human, I will tell you a story. If you will listen attentively I will heal you for that and that alone. Will you bargain with me?” Hela asked.

Jane locked eyes with Sif, silently asking if she could trust the goddess sitting next to her. She gave a brief nod of encouragement, her answer towards Jane lessened at seeing the arrogant mortal in such a weakened state. It wasn’t like Sif to feel sympathy, but how could she blame the human for loving the same man that she loved for centuries. Perhaps, it only meant that the human was wise in seeing beyond Thor’s rough exterior to the golden heart within.

“You have my attention,” Jane said.

“I will tell you a story about a hero of earth. He wasn’t of this land, but he ventured here many times in the ninth and tenth centuries of the common era. During that time he led countless men into battle, slew demons and dragons and abominations of the sea and ice to protect humanity. He celebrated by feasting with the vikings drinking their mead and eating their food and bedding their women. He slept with over ten thousand women, many at one time in celebration of his battle’s glories. His appetite could not be sated, until one day he met a woman warrior. A rarity amongst her people and to her he was loyal. She was his betrothed and he was faithful to her for a thousand years. Do you like this story so far, Jane Foster?” Hela asked.

“I am not sure what the point of this story is, goddess,” Jane said.

“The point, is the woman sitting on the edge of your bed was Thor’s love for ten centuries and he cast her aside for you and scrambled eggs and pancakes. Do you think that your selfish human love can compare to hers? She has fought beside him in countless battles and when he asked her to save the life of the woman whom he’d decided to replace her did she hesitate? Would you have been so magnanimous if your positions were reversed?” Hela asked.

“Sif, I didn’t know. I thought the two of you were just friends, honest,” Jane said. “He left here days ago. We had a big fight. I’ll end it. It’s the right thing to do.”

“What do you think, Sif? Do you believe her?” Hela asked,

Sif was reminded that Hela was the daughter of Loki when her green eyes twinkled in mirth at her expense. 

“I believe that Jane Foster is a woman who fell for the charm of Thor, same as I did. I cannot fault you for falling in love with the same man that I loved. He chose you for a reason. Please, Hela, heal the woman so that we may be gone from here,” Sif said. She looked away from the two women and stared out the window across the room. She thought about Hela’s words from earlier about Loki having feelings for her. Is this how he felt? She had chosen Thor and had been blind to his affection.

She could feel Jane’s fragile, weak grip take her hand. Sif immediately looked down at the hand gripping her own. How dare the human be so forward! She was about to jerk her hand out of hers when she looked at Jane’s face and saw only sympathy. “I’m still sorry, that I fell in love with him too. Had I known you before and known of what he meant to you I wouldn’t have allowed myself to love him.”

“I appreciate the sentiment, but the words are hollow I’m afraid,” Sif said. She stood and made her way to the window.

She could hear Hela mutter a few magical words under her breath and Jane gasped in relief. She could hear the sound of the IVs being pulled out of Jane’s veins. And then the human stood behind her with her hand on Sif’s shoulder. 

Sif reached up and closed her hand on top of Jane’s by some sort of instinct that seemed foreign to her. She’d never had a girlfriend before, but imagined there would be such physical liberties taken amongst women. “We both love Thor, but his love for you is what he has chosen. I have my duty to Asgard first and foremost.” 

“That’s a pretty ring,” Jane said.

Sif twisted around and pulled her hand away from Jane’s to see that she’d held her with the hand that Loki’s ring resided. “It was a gift from a dear friend,” Sif said. She gave Jane one of her rare smiles. “I think it might be time you returned home and left this place of sick bodies and sadness behind you.”

“Sif, I know it might be hard to imagine right now. But, I’d like to call you friend,” Jane said.

“Thor has been my best friend for over a millennia. I am hurt by his actions, but one day we will be fine again. He has chosen to bestow his love upon you and so I shall love you as well. But, I have little patience, Jane. It would be best if you did not press your luck with me,” Sif answered. “My temper and tendency towards violence is the subject of countless bards.”

“All right, well, I had hoped for a little more violence than this when I suggested you join me here, Sif. You constantly surprise me. Part of me hopes that the quest fails. I think I should enjoy your company,” Hela said. The goddess of death rose to her feet waved her hand in the air and the two of them vanished from the realm of Midgard and stood back inside of Hela’s palace.

Once more chains hooked around Sif’s neck and wrists. Hela stood behind her. “You can be certain that I would not forsake you for a human,” she said whispering in Sif’s ear from behind.

Sif rattled the chains are her wrists uncomfortably. She really hoped that Loki was successful.


	4. Part IV

Chapter Ten:

Sleipnir waited for them impatiently stamping his eight hooves outside of the cavern. Loki rubbed the energetic horse behind the ears soothingly in an attempt to calm his nerves. He was unhappy about the addition to their quest’s party – both of them. However, the elf was especially annoying. He was just so damned cheerful and bright. 

“Why do you bother with guns with no bullets?” Loki asked Sir Ivory. One of the things he noticed about the elf was that he had two pistols in his belt, both were six-shooters. Both were empty. What happened to the twelve bullets? Or was the bright and cheery elf so idiotic as to not bother with bullets at all?

“There were bullets, but I shot those feminine creatures in the caves. It’s an enchanted pair of pistols. The bullets replace themselves.” Sir Ivory held up one of the guns and spun the chamber around showing that it was full once more of bronze shells. 

“And what happened to the demonesses that you shot?” Balder asked. “I counted dozens of walking, talking, very aggressive feminine fatales. If you were armed how did you and your companions become captured?”

Good question, except now Loki wondered how Balder let himself become captured. He glanced down at Thor’s older brother and saw a perfectly good, unused sword strapped across his back in a large scabbard. Not a trace of blood dripped from its tip. What was his excuse?

“After I slew a dozen of their sisters they became quite angry. My magical bullets hadn’t replenished yet and my companions had very poor aim. The demonesses toyed with my companions before they ripped them to pieces. They were saving me for last out of respect,” Ivory answered.

“And exactly where were the demonesses that you supposedly slew? And why would you go into battle without enough armory to defeat your opponent?” Loki asked.

“Fine questions,” Thor agreed. “It is foolhardy to enter a battle that you have no chance of winning.”

“It is a fine adventure!” Ivory disagreed. He twirled his guns off his index fingers and slid them back into their holsters with a flourish. “And to answer your other question, the demonesses devoured their fallen sisters. They are despicable creatures.”

“I’m not too keen on you,” Loki muttered under his breath. Thor snickered at his side. He exchanged a look with his blonde brother and Thor winked at him. Apparently, he too agreed. “We still have a mission. There is a mountainous area a few kilometers out west of here. They are known for shooting a deadly fire into the sky and melting any living being nearby.”

“A volcano?” Thor asked. 

Loki nodded. Maybe it was useful to have Thor along. At least he wasn’t asking stupid questions and he didn’t have to worry about him being easily captured. 

“What is it that you seek?” Ivory asked. “I am an excellent tracker!”

“Of course you are,” Loki grumbled. He pinched the bridge of his nose and took a deep breath. Patience. He needed to exercise patience. “I’m looking to capture a phoenix – it a bird of fire and rebirth.”

Ivory clapped his hands enthusiastically and bounced on the tips of his toes. “Excellent! I am a pheasant hunter in Alfheim. I am the absolute best! I shall aid you on this quest!”

“It is a fortuitous meeting then!” Balder cried, a big dopey grin spread across his face.

Loki’s eye twitched. Did Sif remember how annoying and ridiculously optimistic Balder was? There was a reason Loki had played a role in Balder’s original death. The big oaf was oblivious to deception.

Thor leaned close to him to whisper in his ear. “I know we have many conflicts brother, but do you really think he is suited to rule Asgard?”

Odin was asleep and heavily depressed. Thor was more interested in the affairs of Midgard. Loki didn’t care for the role of king – too much oppressing responsibility. He didn’t mind serving as advisor. “Considering the lack of alternatives I suppose he will suffice.”

“Hm,” Thor murmured. “Maybe we can find a way to wake father.”

“And keep him away from our mother?” Loki asked, angling to face Thor directly and raising his eyebrows. Thor groaned and ran his fingers through his golden hair in frustration. “Exactly,” Loki said with a nod and focused on maintaining their course for the mountains.

Along the horizon the air stirred, ash and sand began to sweep across the desolated dunes of the land. The sky darkened to an angry purple rather than the familiar orange-red they’d grown accustomed. Loki recognized the signs of a fierce sand storm brewing. “We need to find shelter immediately,” he said. He looked around. Fire pits, scorched trees, and sand stretched as far as the eye could see. 

“I have an idea,” Thor said. He took his hammer and slammed it into the ground crating a crack along the hard-packed soil. About fifty meters away to their right a shaft appeared in the ground. “A cave, let’s go!”

“Bury ourselves deeper into the ground and under more sand. Great,” Loki grumbled. 

Thor had a keen sense of observation. The little shaft in the ground ended up being the mouth of a system of caves. It was cooler inside the caves below ground than on the top surface. The slight humidity and moisture in the air was a welcome relief to Loki’s frost giant nature. They might be able to follow the system towards the mountain region, it would certainly be more comfortable temperature-wise. He turned to Thor. “Would you be able to create us an exit should we follow this pathway and find ourself unable to find a natural exit?”

“Of course,” Thor said with a grin and resting Mjolnir comfortably on his shoulder. 

“Perhaps I might try to see if I am worthy of holding Mjonir,” Balder said. He approached Thor with a confident gait and his hand outstretched expectedly.

Thor shook his head. “I am sorry, Balder, but I do not believe that is a good idea.”

“Why? Do you not think I am worthy?” Balder demanded, his friendly disposition gone in an instant.

“I offer my aid to help place you on the throne of Asgard. You must be worthy,” Thor argued. He cast a pleading look toward Loki.

Loki rolled his eyes. “We don’t have time for this Balder. Do you want to endanger Sif’s life so that you can play at who welds the hammer better?”

“What’s so special about that hammer?” Ivory asked. He had his arms wrapped tightly around his middle. The light elves didn’t care for the enclosed spaces of underground caves. 

“It’s made of dwarfen magic,” Loki answered. It was the truth, but hardly what made it special. “Let’s go.”

“Why did you reject Lady Sif, brother?” Balder asked. 

Loki rubbed his temples in annoyance. He was highly tempted to use his mind control stone on Balder.

“I did not reject Sif,” Thor scoffed.

That drew Loki’s attention. He glared at Thor. What did he call it then?

“Oh? So you do not mind if I honor your betrothal to her? One son of Odin is as good as another?” Balder challenged. “She will make a fine queen to me.”

“Sif isn’t interested in being a queen. She’s a warrior and she’s waiting for us to return to Hela with the promised phoenix so that she doesn’t spend the rest of her days as a prisoner,” Loki pointed out. “And you haven’t met Jane Foster, Balder. She’s pretty impressive for a human,” he said rubbing his jaw in remembrance of the punch she landed on him.

“You cannot have Lady Sif,” Thor said. He stood toe to toe with Balder. “You are not worthy of her. And I am not sure I want you to meet the Lady Jane just yet.” He dropped Mjolnir to the ground. “Pick it up, brother.”

Balder’s eyes narrowed and he leaned over to pick up the discarded hammer. He yanked on the handle and it didn’t budge. He looked down at the immobile weapon with wide eyes and then tried to pick it up two-handed. It didn’t move. 

“It’s not a big deal, okay?” Loki said. He marched over toward Thor’s hammer and grasped the handle of it and jerked it up. His heart skipped a beat in complete shock and he quickly set it back down. He cast an illusion to make it look like he had attempted to unsuccessfully pick up the hammer as usual. “See, only Thor can pick it up.” 

Thor gave him a funny look. Did he see beyond the illusion? How was it possible that he managed to pick up the hammer? Loki was the most selfish and egotistical and dishonorable man of Asgard. He was beyond redemption! And yet, Mjolnir had accepted him. Why? He was probably hallucinating. It was rather hot and unbearable in the fiery realm.

“Shall we be off?” Loki asked. 

“Okay,” Balder said. 

“I don’t know what the fascination on an ugly dwarfen hammer is, but it only bashes things. Now, a pistol allows finesse. One precisely aimed shot and your enemy is fallen. It is much more elegant and beautiful,” Ivory rambled on. 

Balder fell in step alongside the elf as they led the way through the tunnels. He was the Nordic god of Light so a little darkness hardly phased him. Emanating from Balder was a glow of soft blue light that broke through the darkness of the underground. If nothing else, at least Balder would serve as a beacon of hope for Asgard.

Thor’s brows were furrowed in unease, but he silently hefted his hammer back to his shoulder and followed after the other two. Loki trailed behind them all, his own thoughts a jumble of possibilities.

 

OoO

 

Sif wiped the sweat off her brow. Hela thought it would be entertaining to have her partake in a gladiator-style arena battle against a few hell-spawn. The creatures were thankfully rather idiotic and not particularly creative. Their movements were easy to predict and they were rather weak. One clean swipe with her blade and they shattered to the ground like brittle bones splintering to pieces. 

Hela waved her hand and the remains of Sif’s hell-spawn foes vanished in a dark mist. “That’s enough of that,” she said.

Sif flung her sword toward the ground to shake off the blood, gore, and grime from the blade. She used the rabbit hide pelt she had tucked into her belt and wiped the blade clean. What could Hela want now? Her conversation with Jane still ran through her mind in a ceaseless loop that spurred her annoyance and battle rage towards the hell-spawn. She should have been grateful for such hapless victims to spend her anger upon.

Hela clapped her hands and rubbed her palms together excitedly. “Let’s take a field trip!”

“A field trip?” Sif echoed. Was the goddess of death so lonely for company? “Where do you intend as our destination?”

“Let us visit with the goddesses of fate,” Hela said. 

The goddesses of fate were three Norns that lived at the base of Yggdrasil, the tree of life. Yggdrasil was an eternal green Ash tree that connected the nine realms. Urd represented “past”, Verdani “ present”, and Skuld “future.” The three sisters lived at the well of Urd in the Asgard portion of the tree’s roots, of which there were three.

“I have never visited with the three Norns,” Sif admitted. Thor had visited with the goddesses of fate. He’d described the experience as creepy and disturbing. The three sisters spun the threads of life. They would decide the fate of every human, animal, and god. Many would seek their wisdom – including Odin – to help in making important decisions. Sif had never visited the sisters before. She’d never particularly cared to see what fate might have in store for her. Instead, she had chosen to discover fate as it happened. Foresight outside of battle wasn’t Sif’s forte. 

“Oh well, you simply must!” Hela exclaimed. She took hold of Sif’s arm and tugged her close. “Just don’t threaten them with your sword.” The palace around them dissolved into the mist Sif was beginning to associate with Hela’s magic. 

Sif could feel the change in the air and recognized the clean scent of Asgard – unpolluted and unspoiled unlike some of the other realms. Standing in the center of her line of sight was a giant Ash tree stretching up into the heavens. Sif just had to think back to childhood stories her father told her and Heimdall about the tree of life to make the connection. There was a well composed of gray stones and three darkly cloaked figures sat around it. Between them was a large shimmery spool of yarn of some sort. One held a pair of scissors in her hands and the others were busy braiding and unraveling the threads. 

The three women turned in unison in the direction of Hela and Sif. Their features were hidden in the shadows of their robes. “Goddess of Death and the Warrior Sif,” the one on the right started in a youthful voice that reminded Sif of bells tinkling. “You have come to seek answers?” the middle woman asked in a voice not unlike Sif’s in that it was business-like and impatient. “Our visions often drive people mad,” the woman on the far left added, her voice was dry and raspy as an old woman’s.

“We make our own fate,” Hela said. She sat on the edge of the well and crossed one long leg over the other at her knee. “We have come for entertainment.” She waved her hand imperiously. “Entertain us, ladies.”

“Be respectful goddess, for you were not always so powerful,” the youthful voice said in a teasing voice. “Perhaps the Warrior Sif would like to revisit an old memory?” Sif felt as if she was falling down a tunnel and then a scene developed before her.

She could see herself as a child. It was as if she were living again as that child. Her knee was skinned and bloody and her cheeks were wet with tears. She sat outside of the garden of the palace on a large hill full of blooming yellow flowers. They looked so cheerful and contrasted with her melancholy. She remembered this day. It was the last time that she had cried. She’d been tagging along with her brother, Heimdall. He, Balder, and Thor had been playing a game of slay the beast and they wouldn’t allow her to play because females weren’t warriors. When she broke into tears it only proved their point. 

‘What’s wrong?’ Loki asked. He was a small child, a couple of inches shorter than Sif at that age. His green eyes were too big for his face and the emotions within showed his concern and worry.

Sif wiped her shirtsleeve across her eyes and discretely across her nose. Her hair was still blonde at this time. Loki’s mischief that resulted in her dark locks had yet to take place. “Nothing,” she said with a sniffle.

Loki sat beside her, his shoulder pressed against hers. “Does your knee hurt?” he asked quietly.

Sif shrugged. “It’s just a scratch.”

Loki said nothing and they sat together in companionable silence both staring at the yellow flowers that were swaying in the gentle wind. “You know, I think anyone that doesn’t play with a girl because she’s a girl is a coward and is worried that the girl will be better than them.”

Sif turned to him, he was still staring at the flowers. Had he seen what happened in the gardens? “You think so?”

Loki turned to her and shrugged his frail shoulders. “I would be honored to fight alongside you,” he said with a solemn smile. 

Sif punched him lightly in the shoulder. He cringed slightly at the assault. “You’re right” Sif said. She stood and held her hand out to Loki. After a moment’s hesitation he took her hand and Sif helped him to his feet. “Let’s show those bullies we’re just as good as them,” she said with a determined grin. 

She and Loki ran back to the gardens hand in hand. She challenged Heimdall, Balder, and Thor to a duel, with Loki as her partner. He used his tricks and she used her speed and together they managed to knock both their older brothers on their butts — in spite of being outnumbered and undersized. They were allowed to play with them after that without complaint.

The memory ended and Sif blinked and found herself standing in the middle of the three Norn goddesses of fate. She had forgotten about that moment. That was possibly the first time she and Loki had been alone together, before he started to become so full of mischief and later his thirst for power. He’d been a sweet child and a good friend. What happened?

“What did you see?” Hela asked suspiciously.

“Just a memory,” Sif said. She ran her fingers through her hair and looked between the three goddesses of fate. What was the purpose of that vision?

“Perhaps another?” the youthful goddess said with a laugh. “How about one of your’s Hela?”

“What? No, we’re not here for me,” Hela said. Her confident attitude melted away into one of panic.

“Oh, but I think it is appropriate,” the goddess argued.

“One cannot appreciate the present or the future without a past,” the crone of the future rasped.

Once more Sif found herself drifting only this time Hela was at her side. They were not participants of this vision, but observers.

The sounds of childbirth filled the small hut. The air was permeated by the thick scent of straw, blood, and sweat. A woman with dark hair crouched in the corner of the hut. A midwife held one hand and a nervous father-to-be wiped a cool cloth across her forehead and tried to murmur words of reassurance.

The midwife and the father-to-be exchanged worried looks.

“It will be fine, wife. The child is strong,” the husband said. He wrapped one arm around her back and supported her while he continued to wipe her forehead with his other hand. His features became clear and he looked like Loki. He had the same bright green eyes, the pale skin, the black as pitch hair, and the fine elfin features.

The infant entered screaming into the world. It was a dark haired little girl. The mother held the daughter in her arms and then, she relaxed against her husband seemingly asleep. “What shall we name her?” the husband asked.

“Hela,” the woman whispered. Then she slumped against the man. The midwife had a look of absolute panic across her face as blood began to flow from the woman who had just given birth. The scene faded with the sound of the Loki-look-alike’s screams.

Sif stared at Hela in bewilderment when they returned to the well. The goddess of death held her hands in tight fists at her side, her knuckles were white from tension. Her mother had died during her birth. Perhaps that was why she became the goddess of death. “Loki is your father?” Sif asked. Hela nodded. “Did you recognize your mother? I couldn’t see her face clearly?”

Hela nodded again, but pushed away from the well and grabbed the crone by the shoulders. “No one cares about the past. We came for a glimpse of the future you old hag,” she hissed.

“Who was your mother?” Sif asked.

Hela refused to answer. 

“Be careful what you ask for,” the crone of the future rasped. Hela jumped away from her as if burned. 

The land was of fire and brimstone. The stench of sulfur was overwhelming. Sif stood next to Hela, the latter of which pinched her nose in an attempt to ignore the smell. They were in Muspelheim, the realm of the fire demons.

Stretching high into the sky was a giant figure with skin the color of red, horns, and a massive tail. He was bigger than at least three dragons stacked on top of each other! He was laughing as he watched three smaller demonesses lashing whips across the naked back of Loki. The trickster was strung up between two poles. His back and legs were full of criss-cross ribbons of blood. One of the demonesses held a dagger, Sif recognized it as the dagger she gave to Loki that had belonged to her father. 

Sif, within the vision, drew her sword and with roar of battle rage rushed the demoness. Her sword sliced right through the figure having no affect what so ever.

“It’s a vision,” Hela said walking the circumference of Sultur. “You have no effect here. We can only observe.” She paused looking upwards and rubbed her jaw in consideration. “Hm,” she hummed thoughtfully. 

The demoness began to slowly peel off the flesh from Loki’s abdomen. He didn’t scream. His mouth opened but no sound came. His tongue lay severed at his feet — red and bloody, not silver.

Sif and Hela returned the well. Sif had a strong stomach, but after that vision she knelt and vomited. Loki had his faults, but he didn’t deserve what she’d seen. “We have to save him!”

“The future is set,” the crone rasped.

“The present is constantly changing,” the middle goddess said. 

“What’s happening now?” Sif demanded. She wanted to argue with the crone, because the future didn’t exist. It could be changed. She would see to it that it was changed.

The sounds of heavy boots fell upon the ground and Sif looked in the direction of the owner. She could see it was a tall individual wearing a concealing black cape. “I see I’m not the only one wanting an audience with the goddesses of fate,” a familiar feminine voice said. The blue hood was pushed back revealing a pair of long blonde braids.

“Brunhilde? What are you doing here?” Sif asked, recognizing her friend Valkrye. She had heard she was unreachable. She lived in the realm of Midgard and defended the mortals from alien attacks. There were many more realms than the nine connected to Yggdrasil. There were universes and multi-verses. If she knew that Brunhilde was available she’d have been the one Hela would have included on Loki’s quest. 

Brunhilde moved to stand next to Sif, their heights and builds comparable. Sif stood straighter next to her fellow female warrior. “I paid a visit to Heimdall to see how Asgard was handling the Convergence. He sent me here out of concern for you.” Brunhilde glared at Hela with suspicion in her dark blue eyes. “Why are you with her?” she asked looking askance at Sif.

“It’s a long story,” Sif said with a frustrated huff of breath. 

“Show us the present,” Brunhilde demanded. 

“Very well,” Verdani, the goddess of the present agreed. 

 

Chapter Eleven: 

The underground tunnels seemed to stretch endlessly. Balder glowed an iridescent blue and provided a decent amount of light by which to lead them. Loki’s mind was still trying to process the fact that he’d picked up Mjolnir without any real effort. It didn’t seem possible and yet it happened. He’d done terrible things in his thousands of years of life. Some of his sins were harmless pranks, but murder and mayhem were first and forefront of the more serious crimes. Why did the hammer decide he was worthy and yet denied Balder? Wasn’t Balder the one they were trying to instate as king? Did that mean he wasn’t worthy to be king? Was the entire adventure a foolish waste of time? Lady Sif’s life was in danger for what purpose?

“Heavy thoughts, brother?” Thor asked. The tall and golden Asgardian had kept pace alongside Loki as they trailed behind their other two companions. 

Loki arched an eyebrow at the brother honorific. Did Thor decide to consider him worthy of his affections once more? Perhaps the big lug was more observant than Loki gave him credit for – perhaps he wasn’t fooled by the hastily cast illusion. Mjolnir deemed Loki to be of worth so Thor had done the same. “Just trying to gage our distance,” he murmured.

Strange, red glow worms slithered along the underground tunnels. They seemed attracted to Balder’s blue illumination. Loki was familiar with the glow worms from his research about phoenix birds. The benefit of not being particularly athletic and having few, if any, friends meant Loki spent a great amount of time in the library. 

“We’re getting closer,” Loki announced.

“Not by my calculations,” Ivory disagreed. He whirled around and waved his elaborate hat in front of his face, his elfin ears cast great shadows on the walls from catching Balder’s light. “It’s stifling hot down here,” he whined.

“And what do your calculations say?” Loki challenged. “Exactly how many trips to Muspelheim have you made?” His hand had crept to the dagger at his hip—Lady Sif’s dagger. Thor cleared his throat and gave Loki’s hand a pointed look. The trickster relaxed his hand away from the dagger’s handle.

“I may not have traveled here before, but I know about birds. There’s no way a bird would be near this area. There’s no natural food source for it to eat. The birds of Longrose Hall eat seeds and drink nectar. Do you see any plants?” Ivory asked waving pointing around them with his hat.

“First of all we are not on Alfheim. We are underground,” Thor said. He pointed to the roof of the tunnel above their heads. “I do note the scraggly roots that have reached this deep into the ground. Surely, there is some plant-life on the surface.”

“I see red glow worms,” Loki answered dryly. “Maybe on your happy little elf world the birds are omnivorous, but here they eat worms. These worms,” he said gesturing at the walls and the creatures slithering across the stone. “And these worms are grubs that feast on these scraggly roots.”

“How do you know this?” Thor asked quietly.

“I read a lot of books,” Loki answered. The roots and the worms were evidence enough of their proximity. They needed to explore the surface. Surely, they were close to the home of the phoenix birds. “Look, we need to get out of the tunnels. Is there an exit?”

“I will make one,” Thor vowed. He gripped his hammer and sent it flying through the nearest wall. Loki cringed as he envisioned the tunnel collapsing around them and trapping them amongst the debris of stone and dirt. 

“Worry not, my brother. It is a magical hammer after all,” Thor said with a cocky grin as he caught Mjolnir and casually tossed the hammer in the air, catching it by the handle with ease.

“I don’t know why you insist on calling him brother,” Balder huffed. “I am your true brother.” He glared at Loki with an obvious distaste marring his handsome features. “This Frost Giant was merely adopted out of father’s pity. We are the sons of a king.”

“As is Loki, his blood father was king of the Frost Giants.” Thor rounded on Balder and faced him directly. “Loki is a trickster yes, but he is loyal when it suits him. He would see to Asgard’s preservation above all other things. He had been a valuable ally to me in the past. We can at least trust Loki to be clever. We were raised alongside one another. He is more brother to me than you have ever been.”

Loki cleared his throat, trying to stop the fight between the two true heirs of Asgard. He hadn’t realized that Thor didn’t much care for Balder. Now that he reflected upon it, Balder was a bully to Thor when they were growing up. The Avenger did seem to prefer playing alongside Loki and Sif when they were younger. His relationship with the frail human Jane Foster started to make sense to Loki. Perhaps Thor’s hero complex obligated him to protect those weaker than him. Sif didn’t need him for protection, but that human girl certainly couldn’t defend herself against the enemies of Asgard.

Thor shifted his hammer on his shoulder and started for the hole he had created. Loki and the others followed him outside into the dry sulfuric air. The volcano chain was near and the great firebirds swooped about the sky in mass droves. Loki’s lip curled into a smile. Now he simply had to pick one, place it within a magical container, and then bum a ride off Surtur to Hela’s palace. Easy as pie!

“What do you intend to hold the bird within?” Thor asked rubbing his thick beard absently. “Surely you do not intend to hold it.”

“A cage with plenty of circulation would be ideal,” Ivory said. “I have several such cages back in my realm, unfortunately I have no access to them.”

“Them keep such useless comments to yourself,” Loki scolded. He closed his eyes to concentrate and then using his magic he pulled a cage of appropriate size for a smaller firebird out of thin air. If he had stashed away a muzzle he’d have brought that forth too, but his foresight didn’t grant him suspicions of such an annoying companion. He’d kept the cage stored in one of the spaces between spaces. Not all sorcerers had access to the realm between realms, but it was a skill he’d learned to master. It was a skill that helped him find passages between the nine realms.

“Shall I shoot one down for you?” Ivory asked, brandishing his pistols in enthusiasm.

“No thank you, Sir Honeyshot. I would prefer the creatures to be unscathed,” Loki said. According to the mythology of the Northmen from a millennia ago Loki was the god of fire. That could have been from his teaching the cretins how to create fire, his fickle nature, or his affinity for destruction. As a Frost Giant he wasn’t particularly fond of heat. However, he chose to believer that the moniker would aid him in acquiring a firebird.

There was a density in the area around them. A dark mist began to fall heavily upon the scorched ground. “We’re about to have company,” Loki murmured. “Put your weapons away and act pleasant,” he hissed with a pointed look at Thor and then Ivory. Balder stared at the dense cloud with his hands behind his back. He never moved to touch his blade. What did that mean that his first instinct upon witnessing a possible hostile force was to do nothing?

Materializing before them was the King of Muspelheim. Surtur was a great creature with a height stretching hundreds of feet into the sky, his skin was crimson red, the horns on his head terrifying, his tail was thick and heavy and could wipe out a street block with a single swipe. His dark eyes focused on the company of four, lingered on the cage at Loki’s feet, and then settled on the light elf.

“You have dishonored and disturbed my daughters you foul creature of light,” Surtur rumbled in a deep voice that vibrated the ground under their feet. He turned his glare to the three Asgardians. “What brings Odin’s sons to my realm? Should not I have been informed of a royal convoy?”

“King Surtur,” Loki greeted with a formal bow and a dramatic sweep of his hands. “We disturb your lands on a personal quest. I did not wish to bother you. I seek a phoenix to sooth the temperament of Hela, the Goddess of Death.”

Surtur’s tail twitched in agitation behind him. “Had that been all I would have no dispute with you, Loki. You are an ally. And I have many daughters recently sent to Hela’s realm so I would wish to remain in her good graces.” He directed his piercing gaze at the other three. “Though I find your company to be distasteful. Had this one not been fed to the worms years ago?” he said gesturing with his great sword to Balder. 

Surtur was of course referring to a battle where Loki had been his ally against Odin, Thor, and Balder. It had been a close fight and there was no definitive winner as Surtur and Odin were evenly matched in terms of strength. However, Surtur had the greater intelligence so Loki had sided with the Fire Demon King. The end of that battle had been Loki’s banishment of two hundred years and then Loki’s manipulation of events that led to Balder’s untimely death. He’d not killed his brother himself, but he had aided the assassin that Surtur had sent after the crowned prince.

“The Lady Sif and I bargained with the Goddess of Death to bring him back to life. I am fulfilling the bargain so that I may free Sif from the bondage of the goddess,” Loki explained. He stepped in front of Thor as he could sense his brother eager to battle. 

Surtur grew thoughtful. “I remember the female warrior,” he said with a nod. “She is worth a fine quest.” He reached out and grasped a phoenix flying nearby in the sky as if it were a simple feat. He brought his hand toward Loki and he wasted no time taking the firebird and containing it within the small cage. “A gift for the Goddess of Death that she might have leniency on my recently slaughtered daughters.” Surtur turned his dark, angry eyes towards the elf of Alfheim.

Ivory began to fidget. “Sir, it was self-defense,” he said in a small squeak of a voice.

“You murdered a dozen of my daughters for sport with your companions. Your tortured death was fair compensation and yet here you traipsing about my lands,” Surtur said. He waved his hand to his right and a pair of pillars materialized. “And I am no sir. I am a King!”

“King Surtur,” Balder said raising his hands in a placating manner. “Three of his companions had been slain most viciously. The Convergence that sent them unwillingly to this realm was at fault here. Your daughters had their revenge.”

“You. I never liked you,” Surtur said swiping his blade in a dangerous arc toward Balder. Thor rushed toward his older brother and pushed him out of the way. He brandished Mjolnir defensively, but didn’t attack. 

“Please, King Surtur, we’ll just be out of your hair. I ask that you transport us back to Hela’s castle so that we may leave your realm in peace. We will not venture here again if you so desire,” Loki said. He held his scepter in a white-knuckled grip and while he was tempted to use the Mind Stone he knew that Surtur was too great a will to conquer and an attempt to do so would only incite the king’s wrath. 

“You and Thor may leave. I respect you two. However, I claim these two as spoils for my benevolence. My daughters must be avenged,” Surtur rumbled. With another wave of his hand a dozen female demonesses appeared. They seemed to be the same ones from the cave earlier. 

“I cannot leave without Balder,” Loki said quietly. 

“Would you trade places with him, Trickster?” Surtur said. “Do you find him so worthy as to trade your own life for his?”

Thor locked eyes with Loki, his blue eyes wide and he faintly shook his head in the negative. Loki knew his brother was telling him there would be another way. Thor didn’t realize that sometimes for peace — trades were necessary. One could not always best a rival in battle. 

“I would accept his place,” Loki said trying to swallow the dry lump that had formed in his throat. The air was too dry and arid. He could feel the moisture from his eyes drying out. He wouldn’t last long. Perhaps this was to be his end. He’d faked his death many times. There might be a chance that he could work his silver tongue to convince Surtur to have mercy.

“And the elf, I would have the elf too,” Balder shouted. 

Surtur snorted, steam rising from his nostrils as he glared down at the crowned prince of Asgard. “I would rather see you as a fine jelly beneath my foot.”

“As Balder is my chosen king I will have to petition his request, King Surtur,” Loki said humbling himself and kneeling before the red demon.

“Loki, no,” Thor pleaded in a whisper. “There must be another way.”

“There is no other way,” Surtur said with an impatient wave of his hand. He sent the three and the caged bird away, the vanished in a puff of smoke. “I accept your offer Loki, son of Laufey. Your companions and the firebird have been transported to Hela’s castle. I sent that accursed creature of light back to the horrid realm of Alfheim. You have succeeded in your noble quest.” He crouched so that his large face hovered near Loki’s. “You’ll have to tell me as my daughters strip the flesh from your bones if you believe Balder was worth it.”

Loki locked his jaw and steeled his spine to face the king of demons with as much confidence as he could muster. “He is not worth it, but it is worth my life to keep from disappointing Lady Sif. She was a valuable ally and friend and I would not have her last memory of me to be of a self-preserving coward.”

Surtur laughed and smiled at Loki with a wicked sneer. “No, instead you will be a dead hero.” He waved his hand once more and Loki found himself strapped against the two pillars, his arms and legs spread-eagle. His scepter lay on the ground at his feet. Surtur picked it up. “Perhaps I will use this to pick my teeth after you are dead.”

 

OoO

 

Verdani’s vision of the present had shown Loki and his companions, including a weakling light elf wandering about an underground tunnel lined with red glow worms. It wasn’t very helpful, but it did give Sif hope that it wouldn’t be too late to change Loki’s fate and save him.

Hela had returned them to her palace. She refused to take them to Muspelheim until she received the phoenix she was promised. Sif paced impatiently while Brunhilde leaned against one of the many support pillars in the castle with her eyes half-shut. 

“How do I defeat the Fire Demon King?” Sif asked. She looked between Hela and Brunhilde. “I admit my ignorance on the matter. There must be a way to defeat him.”

“Odin was unable to beat him with Thor and Balder at his side,” Brunhilde pointed out. “Though your friend Loki was on Surtur’s side. I don’t think the Trickster will be of much use to you in this situation.”

“Then let us go back to the fates and ask them!” Sif cried out in frustration.

“We will wait here until my payment is received,” Hela said. She lay across her onyx throne with her legs crossed and wearing a bored expression. She tapped her nails impatiently against on her armrest. 

There was a great commotion and a clattering in the middle of the room. Thor and Balder collapsed on the floor, a silver cage between them. Flames burst from within the cage. Hela rose from her chair at once. Sif and Brunhilde drew near the two men — they smelled of fire and brimstone.

“I see King Surtur delivered you here directly,” Hela said. She walked past Thor and Balder, leaned over, and unlocked the cage allowing the phoenix within to fly free. The firebird flew around the large throne room before it finally settled on Hela’s shoulder. She reached up and patted its head. “I see that Loki has delivered.” She turned to Sif and waved a hand dismissively. “You are no longer my prisoner.”

“Lady Sif,” Thor said, grabbing hold of Sif’s wrist and rising to his feet. “Loki is in danger and we must find a way to save him,” he implored.

“From the sorcerer who the All Father could not scratch?” Hela asked with a laugh. “Loki is a lost cause.”

Sif thought back to the memory of Hela’s birth and the father who resembled Loki so closely. “You want Loki to die so that he will be part of your domain,” Sif reasoned. 

Hela scoffed. “You will all die. None of you are immortal. All must deal with the Goddess of Death.”

Sif knew that Hela’s boast was unfounded. The true heroes of Asgard would find their final rest in Valhalla — a realm of glory outside of Niffleheim and the dishonored dead of Hel. 

“What happened to Ivory?” Balder asked. He rubbed his head and glanced around in confusion.

“Most likely he was sent back to his world Alfheim,” Thor said. “Surtur has great skills in sorcery.”

“There must be a weapon capable of defeating Surtur,” Sif said. She realized Thor still clutched her wrist and she gently extracted her arm from his grasp. 

“Perhaps Jarnbjorn,” Thor suggested. 

“The axe?” Brunhilde asked, pushing away from the pillar and approaching them. “Your enchanted weapon before Mjolnir?”

“Brunhilde?” Balder asked. His bright eyes wide in astonishment as he stumbled to his feet. “You are as beautiful as I remember.”

Brunhilde looked Balder up and down in appraisal. “It’s Valkrye. You look well. The last that I saw you death had stolen your light.” She turned her attention to Thor and Sif. “Wasn’t Jarnbjorn lost?”

Thor shrugged. “Merely displaced,” he confessed. 

“Displaced where?” Sif asked. “Is it a place we can reach?”

Hela began to laugh. “If you believe that the roots of the world tree are reachable.”

“Why is that funny?” Sif demanded rounding on the Goddess of Death unafraid. She could feel her Berserker rage building and her common sense rapidly dissipating. Loki was in danger for fulfilling his promise for the good of the realm and Hela laughed at his expense. 

“She laughs because the roots of Yggdrasil are guarded by a great dragon known as Nidhoggr that gnaws on its roots. It is said that the dragon also feasts on the inhabitants of Nastrond the murderers, adulterers, and oath-breakers,” Thor explained.

“You don’t have to travel far if that is your destination,” Hela said with a sigh. She sauntered near Sif and ran her long, tapered fingers along Sif’s armored arm. “Even after all our time together you have so little faith in me,” she said with a sigh. “Nidhoggr lives in Hel. If you can acquire the axe I will transport you to Muspelheim. However, if you fail to acquire the axe I will not aid you on a fool’s journey.” She stepped away from them and wandered back to her throne with the phoenix resting comfortably on her shoulder.

Sif turned to Thor and they communicated an agreement in the silent language they had developed over the centuries as they fought alongside one another in battle. 

“We will accept this offer,” Brunhilde said. “I will see to it that you are successful, Sif,” the blonde warrior said coming to her side. “If you feel that Loki is worth the risk I will join you on this one last grand adventure.”

Balder looked reluctant, but he valiantly tried to hide his trepidation. Like all good Asgardians he was always excited to adventure against a worthy foe. “Let us adventure once more before I am crowned. Shall we be off to slay this dragon?”

Hela cackled in a cruel laugh. “You cannot kill the immortal dragon. He has a duty to perform until Ragnarok.”

“There is no need to slay this dragon, just retrieve my old axe,” Thor said.

“We must hurry. We visited the three fates and Loki’s future is bleak and cruel,” Sif said. She looked down at the ring on her left hand. It was still a bright green so she took that to mean that Loki and his magic were intact for the time being. While she was grateful to have completed the quest she had set out with Loki to save Balder she couldn’t leave him to such a cruel fate. “I always wanted an axe.”

 

Chapter Twelve:

Sif glanced around observing the surroundings. It was almost too much for her mind to process. Yggdrasil, the world tree, was massive no doubt, but the roots were beyond her comprehension. They seemed to stretch endlessly in all directions, but up. There were three primary roots — greater than all the rest by far and trapped within their cage was a great beast. The dragon Nidhoggr chewed at the roots, trying to break free.

The dragon often became distracted from Yggdrasil’s roots by the plethora of tortured souls trapped amongst the roots alongside it. The screams of those souls as they were devoured would haunt Sif in her dreams for many nights. “All yours?” she whispered to Thor, a reference to a giant stone beast he had slain on Hogan’s world before the invasion by the Dark Elves.

Thor scoffed and shifted Mjolnir anxiously in his hands.

“Do not pity those wretched souls,” Hela said, with a dramatic flare of her green cape. “I have brought you here. Fetch your precious axe, but do not slay the dragon. He serves a purpose as do we all.”

“He is eating those souls,” Thor observed.

Hela shrugged. “As is his duty. Those are the souls of the dishonored dead. The murderers, the adulterers, and the oath-breakers.” She sauntered near Thor and lay a delicate hand upon his shoulder. “Worry not, Thor Odinson. Though, technically you are guilty of all three of these crimes you will find yourself celebrating in Valhalla when all is said and done.” 

“I see the axe,” Valkryie declared. “It is upon the great serpent’s left flank, near its round.” The same descriptive terms were used to describe cuts of meat for cattle on Midgard. The Asgardians routinely ate dragons as a matter of course. The cuts were the same on either species. 

“I see it,” Sif said. “Jarnbjorn will be mine,” she declared. 

“Or mine,” Balder called back at her. “A competition then?” he teased, an excited gleam in his blue eyes. Finally, their crowned prince was beginning to feel the thrill of battle. 

“This is no time for games!” Thor yelled. 

“Battle is a game. One where if you lose you die. Why did you leave the axe in him?” Sif asked. “What is his manner of attack?”

Thor shrugged. “It was too much of a bother at the time. He was blowing fiery attacks in my direction and my eyebrows had been singed twice. It had been time to retire Jarnbjorn anyway.” He sent Mjolnir flying toward the dragon’s face, and knocked loose a soul it had been feeding upon. Thor grinned at Sif. “And I was drunk.” The beast roared and Thor and Valkrye who had stood near one another rolled out of the way barely dodging the attack.

Sif and Balder each rushed up Nidhoggr’s sides. Jarnbjorn was trapped within the great scales of the beast’s iridescent hide. Sif and Balder both stood balanced precariously on the dragon’s hide with a two-handed grip upon the axe. It did not budge even with the strength of the two combined. 

“So you abandoned your axe when it became stuck in the scales of Nidhoggr?” Sif asked Thor. 

“I was impatient,” Thor called back. He sent his hammer flying once again and then then dodged another volley of fireballs directed at him from the angry dragon. “And as I mentioned, drunk. There are four of us and sober. We should be able to conquer this beast!”

The ground began to shake. The Convergence was rearing its ugly head once again. “Hold tight,” Sif warned Balder. He nodded and together they kept a firm hold on the axe. Reality shifted around them until they were at the well of the Three Fates. 

Skuld, the Norn goddess of future fate began to wail. “Ragnarok approaches!” The three cloaked goddesses scrambled away from the well and the snapping jaws of the dragon. 

“My altruism only goes so far,” Hela said before vanishing in a swirl of green.

“Today is not our doom!” Sif roared. “Hit it with your lightning, Thor!”

“Are you sure? It will hurt you too!” Thor asked in concern. 

“Just do it!” Sif turned to Balder, who gripped the axe alongside her. “Just in case maybe you should jump down.” The crowned prince of Asgard leapt off Nidhoggr’s back and landed in a roll alongside Valkryie. 

Thor shot a bolt of fierce electricity at Nidhoggr and Sif gripped the axe securely in her leather gloved hands. With the great surge of electricity and her effort she and the axe were blown away from the dragon’s back. The dragon thrashed beside her, having taken the brunt of the electrical charge. She managed to evade its wickedly barbed tail, but with the sudden freedom from Nidhoggr’s previous confinement he lashed out with his fanged teeth, curling his neck so that Sif was in trouble.

She could feel the burn as the dragon’s poisonous fangs bit into her leg. She danced away as quick as she could, but the wound had been made. The Convergence shifted again and Nidhoggr was once more imprisoned under the roots of the world tree. 

“So we saved the fates, the beast is secured once more, we have the weapon we needed, but our ride ditched us,” Valkryie scolded. She slid her sword into the sheath across her back. “Jarnbjorn looks good on you, Sif.”

Sif rotated the axe confidently in her hands familiarizing herself with the weight. She used to fight with an axe quite frequently. It had only been recently that she’d taken up the sword as her primary weapon. It was a more fitting weapon for a General of Asgard than an axe. “I was afraid we would not be able to count on the Goddess of Death. It is not in her best interests that Loki live. If he dies, he’s part of her realm.”

“What do we do?” Balder asked.

Thor clapped a heavy hand upon his older brother’s shoulder. “We have faith in our friends,” he said. 

The Convergence shifted again.

The Asgardian companions found themselves standing in the realm of Midgard in Jane Foster’s kitchen. She wore an apron that read ‘Kiss the Cook’ , her hair was tied up in a messy bun, and there was flour on her face. She dropped the pancake she was making and stared.

“Jane!” Thor called out with his arms wide and his smile genuine. “We are so blessed to have been brought here by the blessings of the fates.”

“Uh,” Jane started, looking past Thor to the other three Asgardians. Sif waved at her and tried to smile, but it appeared more a grimace as the pain in her leg was a bit hard to ignore. 

The familiar colors of the Rainbow Bridge spread about their feet and the four Asgardians and now Thor’s human girlfriend found themselves in the watch tower alongside Heimdall. 

“Sister,” Heimdall cried out, dropping his stoic facade, wrapping Sif in his arms, and spinning her in a circle. “As soon as I saw the lot of you at Lady Jane’s residence I knew I had to act fast before the Convergence took you somewhere dreadful like Muspelheim.”

Sif groaned. “That’s where we need to go.”

Heimdall set her down. “Why would you want to do that?”

“To save Loki,” Thor explained.

“I thought the mission was to save Balder,” Heimdall pointed out. His knowing eyes trailed down to the bloody wound on Sif’s leg. “You need to see a healer.”

“It was originally to save Balder from death, then to save Sif from Hela, and now it is to save Loki from Surtur and his daughters,” Thor agreed. “My friend, you must find a way to transport us back to Muspelheim and back. I’m afraid the fickle goddess no longer intends to help us and we cannot rely on the king of Muspelheim to send us back.”

Heimdall shook his head sadly. “There is nothing I can do. The Rainbow Bridge remains unstable. I might could get you there, but there would be no guarantees that I could get you back. I was only just able to transport you here.”

Jane pushed up the sleeves of her shirt and yanked off her apron. “Tell me how the device works. Perhaps there’s something I could do to stabilize it,” she suggested. “I am a genius physicist after all.”

While Jane and Heimdall worked on the Rainbow Bridge, Valkryie and Balder spoke quietly to the side. Thor joined Sif where she was sitting examining her wound with the axe laying on the ground beside her. The wound wasn’t as bad as she initially thought — aside from the poison. Thor sat beside her. “Loki was able to lift Mjolnir. I do not know what this means, other than that the hammer found him worthy. You have been a good influence on him.”

“As you can see, Hela kept her promise. We visited Jane on Midgard and the damage you inadvertently inflicted was repaired. I advise you to exercise more caution with such a frail human.” Sif looked Thor directly in the eyes, she still loved him, but she could live without him as a lover, but not without him as her friend and ally. “I hope that the two of us can be friends.”

“There is no existence for either of us without being able to call the other friend,” Thor agreed. “You are my most trusted ally. I would rather have you fighting at my back than any other.”

Sif smiled. She’d rather be complimented for her fighting prowess and cunning than for her ability to tussle in the sheets. “Perhaps I will aid your agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. when they need Asgardian assistance.”

Thor smiled, his eye crinkling in the corners in the process. “I would like that.” He leaned over and scooped her up in his arms, Sif had reared back her fist to punch him hard in the jaw “For now, you will see a healer.” 

She held back her attack and relaxed. “Fine,” she grumbled relaxing against Thor’s chest as he carried her toward the royal healers. 

“I’ll have this fixed as soon as I can!” Jane called out. “Make sure she lets the healers do their job!”

“I will,” Thor called back over his shoulder. 

“She has you wrapped around her little finger,” Sif said with a laugh. “I never thought I’d see the day.”

Thor shook his head. “Neither did I, Sif.”

 

OoO

 

In his many centuries of existence Loki had been through a great many experiences. Some exhilaratingly marvelous and others incredibly low. Today he was at his lowest point, and that was saying quite a bit because with the death of Frigga he thought he was at his lowest point racked with guilt. It was because he gave the dark elf warrior direction to the left stairs to shut down Asgard’s defenses that his adopted mother was slain.

However, Loki could admit that his number one priority had always been his own self-preservation. When he had volunteered himself in Balder’s stead, because frankly he felt that Sir Ivory Honeyshot deserved to be tortured, he thought his death would be a quick one due to his amiable history with Surtur. Unfortunately, Surtur was a slave to the whims of his countless daughters. 

Loki’s leather vest had been stripped from him and was tossed several meters away. It might have spared him some of the first rounds of biting pain, but at this point his chest and back were striped in crimson blood. There were more lacerations than there was intact flesh. At least his face had been spared. He’d kept his mouth shut and grit his teeth at the new waves of pain. He’d have passed out, but they gave him some sort of magical elixir that kept him from bleeding out. It healed him just enough so that they could continue to rip him apart.

A dark blue demoness, her name was Jizella, held the flailed whip for the last dozen lashes. “Father! How do I make him turn blue?” She frowned and ran her clawed fingertips across his chest scoring deep marks and examining the blood. “I want blue, not red!”

“Daughter,” Surtur said with a sigh. He was sitting in a transportable throne and staring off into the distance while supervising his daughter’s methods. “His blood is red. If you want to see his skin turn blue I suggest you stop stripping it off of him.”

Jizella stared down at her blood saturated whip in confusion. “What do you mean?”

“Start breaking his bones. Surely, the pain will cause his illusion to break,” Surtur suggested. “It is a subconscious spell, but even the great Trickster won’t be able to hold it.”

Jizella and a yellow-skinned demoness with a reptilian appearance exchanged smiles. Jizella dropped her whip to the sand at their feet and took his right hand while her yellow-skinned sister took his left hand. 

They began to break every one of his fingers, the sound akin to dry twigs snapping. The pain was excruciating. He glanced down to his left ring finger, the one that wore the twin ring to Lady Sif’s. It would never come off of him now. At least, assuming they let him keep his body parts intact. 

He almost blacked out, but the elixir he’d been given kept him painfully awake. 

“Oh! Daddy! It worked!” Jizella cried out clapping her hands. 

Loki glanced down, his vision blurred. He could see that his skin was now a cerulean blue. His Frost Giant heritage revealed itself. He may have been the Trickster known for his illusions, but Loki had no illusions left. He would die — eventually. And he was certain that no one would recognize his corpse.


	5. Part V

Chapter Thirteen:

 

Sif looked around the infirmary. The long hall was lined with several dozens of beds and each one was occupied and several other patients waited for beds to open. She was one of the many warriors being treated. Her Aunt Eir, the Goddess of Mercy and Healing, had been so busy that she didn’t even stop by to visit with Sif during her treatment. 

Magical solutions were being replaced by old fashioned wound cleansing, salves, and bandages. The vast numbers of injuried Asgardians ever since the dark elf invasion had depleted the stores of medical supplies greatly. The demand was too great. The healer assigned to Sif’s treatment had already cleansed her wound of the poison and was stitching the jagged flesh. A pot of special salve waited to be applied, keeping the wound closed for when she fought later. 

“We’re short on the healing elixir,” the healer explained apologetically. She held out a small vial to Sif. “As a valuable warrior here’s your ration. It should speed your recovery.”

“Thank you,” Sif said accepting the vial. She pocketed the healing elixir. It might be useful on her final quest on Muspelheim. With only a small amount it was best to use the solution after wounds had been cleaned and dressed. It would increased its effectiveness. 

“General Sif!” Volstagg cried out from the entrance into the medical hall. “Where have you been?” He made his way through the aisles of hospital beds. In one hand he balanced a plate piled high with various meats, breads, fruits, and vegetables. In the other hand he held a pitcher of mead. “I heard you were here and had to make sure you were properly fed.”

Sif grimaced as a particular suture hurt. “I have been adventuring on a secret assignment. You must keep the adventure that way, but please, bring food such as that to Heimdall and the watch tower. We have guests that need to be fed as well.”

Volstagg cringed, his grizzly beard not hiding his expression. “I cannot keep a secret, Lady Sif! You know that!”

“Which is why you will stay with Heimdall until our adventure is at an end,” Sif explained.

“Or I could come with you,” Volstagg argued. “The Warriors Three should be fighting alongside the great General Sif!” 

“Hogan is serving as the steward of Asgard. He is needed here to maintain order in Odin’s absence,” Sif said. 

“Then Fandral and I shall help.” Volstagg set the pitcher of mead on the table next to the hospital bed. He held out a leg of lamb to her. Sif took it and bit into the juicy flesh. “And I will feed your mysterious adventuring companions. Agreed?”

“Very well,” Sif agreed. “You might like my new weapon.” Her eyes lingered on the axe strapped across his broad back.

“Oh?”

The healer tied off the suture, set aside her scissors, reminding Sif of the goddesses of fate and their cutting the strands of life. She began to slather on the healing salve and then bandaged the wound. “You’ll need to rewrap that daily with fresh linen until it’s healed. If you choose to take the elixir tonight you’ll wake up good as new tomorrow.”

“Thank you,” Sif said. “I’ll free your bed now. You have quite a line of patients in need of your care.” She swung her legs off the bed and almost managed to hide her cringe. “Come,” she said to Volstagg. 

“I would tell you to take it easy, but I know you would ignore me,” the healer said with a smile. 

“I’ll heed your advice to take it slow when I don’t have a quest that needs my immediate attention,” Sif promised.

 

OoO

 

Thor watched at a distance as Jane and Heimdall discussed the workings of the Rainbow Bridge. He stood to block the entrance of the watch tower, keeping both Balder and Valkryie from view. He could see three figures approaching from the city. He held his hammer at the ready. He didn’t want to knock unconscious his own people, but it was imperative to keep their adventure a secret. If the people of Asgard realized that Loki has been posing as King Odin, that Odin was in fact missing, and that Thor and a select few warriors were planning to rescue Loki from a fate that many bitter Asgardians might feel he deserved — it would be absolute anarchy. 

“Heimdall?” Balder asked. He hovered near Jane and Heimdall as the controls for the Bifrost. 

“Yes?”

“Where is Odin? With your all seeing-eye have you seen him?” Balder folded his arms across his chest. “I would like to see him if possible before we head off to the demon homeworld.”

“He lives, but is in the Odin-sleep. I can feel him, but I cannot see him.” Heimdall sighed. “Only Loki knows where he is. We must find Loki first.”

“Why would Loki be the only one to know? There must be someone else that would have at least an idea,” Balder argued.

“Of course. Lady Frigga taught Loki everything he knew,” Valkryie answered. She sat on the ground with her legs spread out before her and busied herself sharpening the blade of Jarnbjorn for Sif. 

“And mother is dead,” Thor said. The grief was still raw from the loss of his mother, but he would focus on that later. He’d had satisfaction in avenging her death, but vengeance didn’t bring happiness. He would make sure that her beloved adopted son was safe. Loki might find himself imprisoned, but he would be alive. And if the judgement of Mjolnir could be trusted the trickster wasn’t beyond redemption.

“I’ve got it!” Jane shouted, pumping her fist into the air. “It should work at least twice. To send you to this Muspelheim and back here. That’s all I can guarantee with the anomaly of the Convergence.”

Thor glanced over his shoulder and smiled at Jane. “You have done well, Lady Jane.”

Jane ran her hands through her hair in frustration. “Unfortunately, you’ll only have twenty minutes. We’ll put you right at Loki’s location. I’ll have to stay here with Heimdall to make sure nothing goes wrong.”

“I wouldn’t have you on that fiery world. The sulfuric air would have melted your lungs,” Thor explained. He turned back to the walkway. Three figures approached. “Hark! Who goes there!”

“It is two thirds of your Warriors Three!” Volstagg shouted back.

“Aye! The more handsome two thirds,” Fandral added with a hardy laugh. 

Sif didn’t quite hide her slight limp from Thor’s observant eyes. She stood between the two other companions and they each held food and refreshment. “Sorry, no mead,” Sif said with a wink. “I believe we’ll need to be sober for this.”

“Agreed,” Thor said with a laugh. Oh how he had missed the banter with his dear friends! There was nothing like certain death looming on the horizon to bring out his mirth! 

“What are you doing here, Thor?” Fandral asked. “I thought you were on Midgard defending the humans against alien attacks and making time to know your Lady Jane.” He looked past Thor’s bulk to see both Balder and Valkryie, his pale eyes grew wide and his jaw slackened. “It cannot be.”

“Yes, it’s a miracle,” Valkryie said in a bored tone. “If you’re going to be of use you need to learn what you’re volunteering for.”

“If General Sif and Thor Odinson are involved then we are involved,” Volstagg bellowed. He held out his plate of food toward Valkryie and she accepted a couple of dragon steaks. 

“Blind loyalty, how I don’t miss thee,” Valkryie mumbled ripping into her meat with her teeth. 

“How is this possible?” Fandral asked again. He drew near Balder. “Are you a ghost?” He reached out and poked the prince in the shoulder. “You feel solid.” 

Volstagg seemed to notice Thor’s brother for the first time, the plate in his hand began to fall, but Thor reached out and caught it on reflex. “He was the objective of the first quest that Lady Sif and Loki embarked upon,” Thor explained. “It was an adventure into the depths of Niffleheim into the land of Hel.”

“But, Loki is dead,” Volstagg argued. 

“He will be if we do not hurry,” Sif said. “Odin has fallen into the great Odin-sleep. Loki could have continued to rule Asgard under an illusion, but instead he sought my help to save Balder and restore him to the throne.”

“So then Loki is the one that sent us to the Collector with an Infinity Stone?” Volstagg asked, his heavy red eyebrows furrowed in deep thought. “What could have been his purpose?”

“To protect Asgard,” Sif answered in a firm tone that brokered no room for arguement. Thor looked at her in surprise. She certainly was defensive of his trickster of a brother. 

“Why doesn’t Thor just become king?” Fandral asked. 

“Maybe I don’t want to be king,” Thor said. “I’d rather be a good man, than a great king. I will continue to serve as protector of the nine realms, but I do not wish to rule.” He took a deep drink of the jug of water. It would be hot and miserable on that fiery realm. He handed the jug to Balder. “We must hydrate.”

“My new toy,” Sif said picking up Jarnbjorn from where Valkryie had propped it against the wall. She held it out towards Volstagg. 

“Oh! I do like it!” Volstagg cried out, rushing to Sif’s side and running his fingers across the hilt of the great axe. “May I?” Sif handed him the axe. “The balance is amazing!” He began to twirl the axe in an arc. “I thought you lost this centuries ago?” he asked Thor.

“Buried in the hide of a great dragon. That was our latest adventure. We will need it in order to defeat Surtur, King of Muspelheim,” Thor explained.

“It’s ready,” Jane called out. “Remember, you’ll only have twenty minutes.”

“Your human is here too?” Fandral asked, running his fingers through his short blond hair, his eyes wide. 

“The Convergence,” Sif said, as if that explained everything. “We shall focus freeing Loki and keeping Surtur distracted. The Jarnbjorn axe is a weapon capable of defeating the great demon king.”

“Hogun will be so jealous,” Fandral whispered to Volstagg. He glanced toward Balder with a look of pity. Perhaps realizing why Thor did not covet the title of king. To be king meant fewer adventures.

Heimdall grasped Sif’s shoulders and them it a comforting squeeze. “Little sister, take care.”

Thor handed the jug off to Valkryie and then made his way to Jane. He wrapped her in his arms, hands on her tiny waist and pulled her up so that he might kiss her. “I will be back.”

“I know,” Jane said, a fierce blush across her cheeks. “I’ll make sure of it.”

“Let us go and bring home another son of Asgard,” Sif declared. She propped the great battle axe upon her shoulder and wore her battle-ready expression. Thor was glad to be in her good graces once more. She would not hesitate to kill for her loved ones. It was strange that the number of loved ones now seemed to include Loki. He could see the change in his brother as well. 

“Let us adventure together once again!” Thor shouted.

His fellow Asgardians all pumped their fists into the air in excitement. 

“Twenty minutes,” Heimdall reminded them. 

 

OoO

 

Loki was certain he was hallucinating. Giving up wasn’t in Thor’s nature, nor was it in his, however, this time he saw no escape from his prison. Even his rage was weakened by his body’s weakened state. There had been no satisfaction in doing the noble thing and taking Balder and the elf’s place. He’d forgotten the elf’s name by now. He’d forgotten many things — except his thirst. And occasionally, he would look down at his mangled left hand, see the ring and think of the moments he fought alongside Sif. During those moments he was a hero. It had been fleetingly satisfying. He wished he hadn’t placed his scepter with mind stone in the realm between realms. Maybe it would have been better to use it upon the weak-minded daughters of Surtur. 

The brilliant red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet light that flooded the desert plane of Muspelheim had to have been an illusion. His mind was playing tricks on him. It was impossible for the Bifrost to work during the insanity of the Convergence.

“Loki!” Sif cried out, Loki’s head snapped up in a moment of hope. His imagination couldn’t have brought such a vivid sound. Sif took her great sword and lopped at him, end over end until it struck Surtur’s daughter and she and her flailed whip fell to the dirt. He’d only been granted a few seconds of this vision before his chin fell heavy upon his chest once more lacking the energy to do otherwise.

There was a whole herd of Asgardians swarming Surtur and his daughters. He recognized Thor, Balder, Valkryie? What was she doing there? Volstagg and Fandral of the Warriors Three. He remembered something about Hogun sitting on the throne. The warrior from Vanaheim would be upset to have missed out on a rescue mission. 

Sif brandished a giant bloody axe and stood before Surtur. “Release him and we won’t kill every one of your children and you shall be unscathed,” she shouted.

“Loki belongs to me,” Surtur said, waving his hand across the desert sand and sending up a violent wave of scorching sand. “He traded himself to me in exchange for the sun god and that wretched elf.”

Sif held her armored arm across her face to protect it from the bitter sand. “Loki’s life is not his to give,” she answered.

“Oh?” Surtur asked. He looked down upon the six Asgardian warriors, standing back to back with their weapons raised, Loki’s torture pillar between them. Sif stood directly in front of Loki’s face and he watched her unable to cry out to her. He wanted to warn her not to waste her time. He was done for, there was no reason for them to die too. “You would claim this trash?”

“He is not trash. He is my brother,” Thor argued, standing at Sif’s side. 

“And he belongs to me,” Sif said, she leapt forward in a roll, and sliced her giant axe into the tendons at the back of Surtur’s ankle. 

The giant demon fell to one knee and roared, his tail lashed out behind him. Volstagg, hurried to Sif’s side and with his axe tried for Surtur’s other achilles tendon. His axe disintegrated into a pile of ash. He stared at his empty hands in shock before he kept out of the way of Surtur’s deadly tail.

“Use this!” Sif yelled, throwing her axe at Volstagg. The red-haired Asgardian caught the battle axe with ease, rolled back into his previous position, and used it’s blade on Surtur’s other ankle. Sif took the shift in momentum to rush to Loki’s side. Using her dagger she began to saw off the restraints holding him up. She started with his legs and now was working on his arms.

“You might want to hurry,” Thor warned at her side. He defended them from the small army of Surtur’s children. The favored flailed whips of the demonesses proved no match for the blades of the battle-bred Asgardians. Volstagg, Fandral, Valkryie, and Balder fought between the army and evaded Surtur’s tail and sword. Only Volstagg dared to strike the great demon, the others having seen what became of his weapon. 

“Do you speak?” Sif asked. She gripped Loki’s jaw firmly, as she had released all but one of his bindings. 

“Why did you come for me?” Loki whispered, his voice hoarse, his throat parched. His eyes felt like they were full of sand and grit. He was simply grateful to still have his eyes. They surely would have been the next bit to torture.

“Because you are of Asgard,” Sif said with a sigh of relief. “Your tongue would have been the next thing they took. They intended to see if you were truly silver tongued or not.”

Loki ran his intact tongue across the backside of his teeth and didn’t bother to ask how she thought she knew that. “I am clearly not of Asgard,” he said. His very blue arm hung heavily across Sif’s shoulder as she worked to free him of his last restraint. He didn’t have the strength to stand on his own. 

The last restraint snapped free and Sif caught Loki before he could crumble to the dirt. While his legs wouldn’t support his weight, he felt his heart light in his chest with the unfamiliar sensation of hope. “This will not do,” Sif said. She tucked her dagger in her belt and then swung Loki up in her arms as if he were as light a child — one arm under his knees and the other supporting behind his back. Loki had never been so grateful as to have been held as an invalid. Sif crouched to pick up her sword, using her knee to balance his weight as she slide the sword into her sheath before standing again. “You are Asgardian,” she declared. “Because we claim you.”

“Sleipnir. Did he return to Asgard?” Loki rasped, his face pressed against Sif’s shoulder. He focused his gaze on the steady pulse of her throat. 

Sif shook her head. “Heimdall did not mention his presence here. He will find his way home. Like you, he seems to know his way around the realms.”

“Maybe we should run,” Valkryie suggested rushing to Sif’s side and slaying a trio of demonesses. “We have three minutes until our pick-up arrives.”

“I have never run from a fight,” Sif argued, adjusting Loki’s weight so that he was more balance upon her shoulder and one arm and she pulled out her sword once more and held it at the ready. While she appeared to favor her right leg, the woman was freakishly strong.

“Might be a good time to start,” Loki suggested. In spite of the danger all he wanted to do was sleep. He was relatively safe in Sif’s arms though her armor dug uncomfortably into his flesh. 

“He speaks true. We have achieved our objective,” Thor said, releasing his hammer, Mjolnir came so close to Sif’s face that her hair was brushed back as the weapon slammed into Surtur’s kneecap. Only the axe and the hammer were safe from Surtur’s ash defense. 

The Asgardians once again formed a tight circle and the Rainbow Bridge began to form around them. “It’s a little early, but we’ll take it!” Balder shouted. His body radiated a bright blue glow as his powers flared in the heat of battle. “No offense, King Surtur. We’ll try not to bother your realm again.”

“I will destroy you puny Asgardians!” Surtur roared. His sword began to swing down upon them. But passed through their unsubstantial forms as they were transported back to Asgard. 

“I believe we just made an enemy,” Fandral said clearing his throat. 

“Surtur has always been Asgard’s enemy,” Thor answered. He stood by Sif and examined Loki. Sif sheathed her sword and supported Loki more securely. “You are blue, brother.”

“True colors and all,” Loki rasped.

“I think it’s romantic that Sif is carrying him in her arms,” Valkryie said with a grin. She glanced toward Balder who was still glowing blue from his inner light and the heat of the battle. He was flinging the blood of demons off his sword and onto the ground. “Maybe I shall one day find a man worthy of carrying in my arms.”

“I shall take him immediately to the healer,” Sif declared.

“No,” Thor said grasping her shoulder. “He is still to serve his sentence until we can speak with Odin and clear these matters.”

“I am the king, I can make these decisions,” Balder argued.

“Not yet,” Thor said. He held his arm out and Jane rushed in and hugged him close. “We shall take him to a private cell and have a healer sent. And a heavy potion to keep him sedated.”

“After everything he’s been through—” Sif began to argue, but Loki interrupted her.

“Thor is right,” Loki said. “I don’t care where I am as long as it’s Asgard.” He closed his eyes and in spite of the pain that seemed to be his entire body he relaxed against Sif.

 

OoO

 

Sif stood guard at the door while the healer, her aunt Eir the goddess of mercy and healing, focused on Loki’s injuries. Her brother Heimdall stood beside her. The Bifrost was shut down until further notice, possibly until the Convergence passed which would be a few more months. He didn’t want to risk anyone ending up in Muspelheim. 

Loki was broken physically, but she had faith that his mental agility would return. His skin was a cerulean blue — like the summer sky over Asgard. His fingers had been broken and were bent at odd angles. There were more lacerations across his torso than there was flesh. He was covered in bruises, but the purple and blue markings were difficult to distinguish with his darker skin tone.

Eir gestured for Sif and she picked up the bowl of salve. “You apply the salve to his wounds. I’ve cleaned them best I can. I will work on righting his fingers,” the healer explained.

Sif nodded and scooped out a generous portion of the gray salve and began to rub it into the wounds on Loki’s chest and abdomen. His muscles relaxed as the cold substance came into contact with his wounds — a Frost Giant trait, for had he been a hot-blooded Asgardian his muscles would have flinched at the touch of the cold salve. 

His green eyes opened and he stared up at her. She thought he was unconscious. She was even more impressed by Loki’s resilience. “You were brave,” Sif said quietly. She could see Loki’s painful grimace as the healer cracked his fingers back into their proper position. 

“It’s less painful being the villain,” Loki hissed through clenched teeth. 

“Being heroic is rarely easy,” Sif agreed. She reached for his cheek and touched it gently with her fingertips — it was bruised, but not terribly injured. She was afraid to touch him anywhere else worried about inflicting more pain. There was an unreadable emotion swirling within the depths of Loki’s emerald eyes. She retracted her hand and focused on applying the salve.

Heimdall moved from the doorway and stood towering over the medical bed. “I need to know King Odin’s location.”

Loki nodded. “I will have to take you there. He was unsafe in his deep sleep. I do not know if he will awaken. It is a realm between realms, one beyond your all-seeing eyes. Frigga is the one that taught me the way there.”

“Then it will have to wait,” Eir said. “You cannot travel in your condition.”

“Sif could carry me,” Loki said with a grin that quickly turned into a grimace. “She brought me here in worse condition than I’ll be when you finish, Lady Eir.”

“Two days, can you give him two days to recover?” Eir asked. Their aunt gestured towards his exposed blue skin. “He needs to be able to hide his skin color. He would cause a panic.” She cast Sif and Heimdall an apologetic look. “I am your blood relative so I know that if you two tell me he can be trusted then he can be trusted. I will also keep his presence a secret for the good of Asgard. You cannot expect the others of Asgard to so easily forgive his treachery.”

Many good people of Asgard died during the dark elf invasion. Loki had played a part in that attack, but no one had proof, only suspicions. Heimdall was the most suspicious for the protective barrier of the city was known only to a few and that included the royal family. “I can agree to two days,” Heimdall answered. “Thor and Balder are both here. Thor will serve as Steward of Asgard until Odin can awaken and make his choice of successor.”

“Hogun will be pleased,” Sif said with a smile. “I am sure he is jealous to have missed so much grand adventure.”

Loki started to laugh, but it ended in a chest rattling cough. “Is that what you call this?” he gasped.

“Oh yes, the best adventures always result in scars. They make for the re-telling of said adventures more engaging!” Sif declared. She glanced over at Heimdall and her brother was sighing and relaxing against the wall once more to continue standing guard.

Eir came upon Loki’s ring finger on his left hand and looked between his ring and Sif’s matching ring. She raised an eyebrow at her niece in question, but Sif ignored it and focused on applying Loki’s healing salve. “I would like to use the healing elixir, but Prince Balder forbad it,” she explained. “It would make his recovery quicker.”

“I understand,” Loki said. “This is more than I deserve.”  
“Why would Balder do that? The injuries sustained were for Balder’s sake,” Sif argued. “Surely, Aunt Eir, there must be something you can do.”

“I suspect Balder is still bitter about Loki’s hand in his death with the mistletoe,” Heimdall said. “He had centuries to nurse his grudge. One good deed doesn’t erase centuries of hate.”

“Aunt Eir?” Sif pleaded. She didn’t want to beg, but Loki was her friend and she cared about him. She didn’t want to see him suffer needlessly. 

“I will place him into a medical coma,” Eir decided. “You will dream for the next two days,” she explained to Loki. “Your body will heal better if you’re not in constant pain.”

“Thank you,” Loki whispered closing his eyes.

 

Chapter Fourteen:

It was the second day that Loki had been placed into a healing coma by the Goddess of Healing. Eir had decided it was necessary if she were to speed along his healing process. The knitting together of splintered bone and severed muscle and flesh would cause the nerves to burn like billions of volts of lighting coursing through him. Only Thor, God of Thunder, would have been able to survive her treatment without either healing elixir or a protective coma.

“You do not need to stand guard,” Thor said. 

Sif glanced up from her position on the wall standing beside Loki’s bedside. “Someone must stand guard. Do you trust another not to plunge a dagger into Loki’s heart as he is so weak and unable to defend himself?”

“You can trust me,” Thor suggested.

“Do you not want to spend every moment with Jane Foster?” Sif asked. She wanted to spend her waking hours watching over Loki to ensure his well-being. Did Thor not worry about his frail human’s health? What if she tripped and hit her head? She could die! “And aren’t you ruling the kingdom right now?”

“First of all, if there is a problem Heimdall knows where to find me. Though Balder is eager to claim the throne I do not believe it is wise until Odin approves of it. And as far as Jane is concerned she is not as fragile as you think,” Thor said with a laugh. He reached out and took Sif’s hand, the one with the green ring on it. “You do realize what this is, don’t you?”

Sif snatched her hand back. “It is my promise to not allow tragedy to befall my friend and his to do the same for me.”

“I see,” Thor said. “Go, Sif. That is an order. Come back after you’ve at least slumbered for six hours, had a nice bath, and enjoyed a meal with Volstagg. He wishes to give you thanks for the gift of Jarnbjorn in replacement of his battle axe.”

“It suits him,” Sif said with a shrug. With reluctance, but unable to refuse Thor’s strongly suggested orders, she obeyed. “I will be back in a few hours.”

“I know you will be and we will both be waiting for you. Though,” Thor paused and scratched his golden beard. “Perhaps, you could tell Jane where I am. She was sleeping when I left.”

A knowing smile spread across Sif’s face. “You didn’t break her this time did you?”

A fierce blush stole across Thor’s neck. “Of course not!” He stared down at his feet carefully avoiding her eyes. “Though the bed is another matter.”

Sif laughed, her belly aching from the depth of her mirth. Shaking her head she left behind Thor and Loki. 

She had gone not fifty meters before she ran into Valkryie. “Finally, I’ve been pacing these halls waiting for your vigil to end. Come!” Valkryie took Sif’s arm and began to run down the hall and up the stairs with Sif in tow. 

They were greeted at Vostagg’s family home. His wife and daughters had prepared a great feast. Balder, Fandral, and Hogun were already sitting at the table by the time Sif arrived. Vostagg’s three eldest daughters were also at the table, his other children two more girls and his one son were already asleep for the evening. 

“Thor had given his word that he would send you here!” Vostagg said with a wide smile. He threw his empty stein of ale on the ground and it shattered on the stone floor. “Another!”

With a lovely smile, his wife brought him another drink, leaning over to kiss him briefly on the lips before taking her seat at the table. 

Sif took the seat between Fandral and Hogun. “Hello boys,” Sif greeted. She helped herself to a generous portion of the rich spread before her. 

Hogan scowled at her — his dark features twisted in annoyance. “You leave me on the throne to run our kingdom while we rebuild after a war while you go on an adventure to the underworld? You have no idea how stressful it is dealing with architects, construction managers, and treasurers!”

“Many men would kill to sit on the throne,” Sif pointed out. She stabbed a steak knife through a slab of roasted dragon meat. “Which is why it was in the best interests of Asgard to place an honest man of Vanaheim as steward.”

“I’m just glad Thor is back so he can deal with those vultures,” Hogun said with a sigh. He reached up and rubbed the area of his forehead between his eyes “Maybe this migraine will finally go away.”

“I have the perfect cure,” Fandral said slamming a stein of ale in front of Hogun. “Drink up!”

“Your quest was a success. You brought back the crown prince from the depths of death and survived fighting alongside the trickster,” Hogun said. He drained his alcohol in one long draught. He slammed his stein on the stone floor. “You truly are a brave warrior!”

Sif glanced across the table to see Valkryie raising her eyebrow in amusement. The blonde was sitting beside Balder and Sif remembered that many centuries ago the two of them had been romantically involved. “How is Loki?” Valkryie asked. Sif didn’t miss the dark look that flashed through Balder’s normally kind eyes. 

“He is still in a healing coma. I expect he will recover physically with a few scars and mentally with many wounds,” Sif answered. She drank slowly from her stein of mead. It was a strong blend. She was impressed by how quickly Hogun and Vostagg had consumed their shares. 

Balder narrowed his pale eyes and attacked his dragon steak with a forceful strike of his knife. “With the number of crimes that one is responsible for you are treating him with too much sympathy,” Balder said ripping a chunk of steak with his teeth. 

Sif remembered Balder as a kind god. In the past many of the citizens of Asgard would come to him for his kind and encouraging words. They would approach Thor for battle. And Loki was the son of Odin that was best avoided. Balder’s untimely death, often blamed on Loki revealing Balder’s one weakness seemed to have driven Balder to hatred in the realm of the dead. She caught Valkryie’s eyes and could see similar thoughts were crossing her friend’s mind. 

“All living creatures are afforded some sympathy,” Valkryie said.

“And that’s how you get yourself killed by mistletoe,” Balder mumbled.

“That was a long time ago,” Fandral said quietly. 

“And he’s been an upstanding citizen of Asgard in my absence?” Balder asked.

“He has proven himself useful,” Sif said.

“You are biased,” Balder said pointing the tip of his knife at her. 

Sif pushed away from the table and approached Vostagg and his wife. “Thank you for having me and for this wonderful meal. I promised Thor that I would check on Jane.”

Volstagg’s wife threw her arms around Sif. “Thank you so much for taking such good care of my husband. He loves that axe! Let me give you a plate for Lady Jane,” she said with a big smile. Sif studiously ignored Balder’s stare, she could feel his gaze on her. Fandral was valiantly sharing stories of their battle in Muspelheim. 

Sif was glad to escape the feast at Volstagg’s home. Normally, she enjoyed taking part in the celebrations after a successful fight. Currently, her worry for Loki outweighed her desired to celebrate. Now, she understood Thor’s behavior over the past two years while he was separated from Jane. 

Jane answered Thor’s door with a friendly smile that grew wider upon spying the food that Sif had brought. “Oh thank God! I’m starved!” Jane cried taking the plate and setting it on the little table in the corner of the room. 

Sif grinned. She was familiar with that ravenous hunger that Jane surely felt at being the paramour of Thor. Jane sat in one of the two chairs at the table and Sif took the second chair. “The meal is courtesy of Vostagg and his wife. Your company was missed at the feast.”

Jane pointed a piece at bread at Sif. “But if I had been there you wouldn’t have had an excuse to leave early.”

Sif leaned her elbows on the table and propped her chin her hands. “You truly are wise, Jane Foster.”

“So, do you know how long I can expect to be here?” Jane asked. 

“Thor will be pleased to use the Convergence as an excuse to keep you here indefinitely. He did miss you while you were separated. He constantly moped about the palace,” Sif explained. “It was pathetic. Even a good fight and strong ale could not cheer him.”

“How do you feel about my being here?” Jane asked quietly.

Sif thought about the question. Three weeks ago she would have struggled against her berserker rage at Jane’s extended presence in Asgard. Now she was grateful for the woman’s presence to escape banquets. “You make Thor happy. If Thor is happy, I am happy.”

Jane wiped her face and hands with her napkin while watching Sif closely. “You’re different.”

“I have been to Hel and back,” Sif said with a shrug. “Dragon poison is also a bit exhausting.”

“I’m talking about you and Loki.”

Sif shifted uncomfortably. “I don’t know what you mean. I am the same.”

“The last time I saw Loki on earth he murdered nearly a hundred people, opened a gate to another universe to allow an alien army to invade, and was defeated by the Avengers. Hulk smashed him to the ground a few times,” Jane remembered with a smile. Natasha had described the scene to her as Banner had described it to her. “Hulk called him a puny god. Afterwards, Loki asked Iron Man for a drink.”

“Alcohol is often enjoyed in many Asgardian victories and defeats,” Sif admitted. The picture that Jane had painted of Loki wasn’t pleasant. The Trickster had a dark malicious side.

“I’m sure it is,” Jane agreed. “The last time I saw Loki he helped Thor save me from the dark elves and the ether. He died heroically. Thor was devastated.”

“And yet that was an illusion and Thor was actually masquerading as King Odin,” Sif said. 

“My point is, he does terrible things and he does very wonderful things. Loki is capable of greatness. Though great evil or great good are equally possible with him,” Jane said. “However, his staying behind on the fiery realm shows he is capable of heroics. Thor told me that he was able to lift Mjolnir.”

“There is worth in Loki,” Sif said. 

“You and Thor gave him chances to redeem himself when no one else would. Thor thought him dead this past time, his sorrow was great. Thor has always wanted to be able to fight alongside Loki with trust between them.”

“He can be trusted if his motives match your own. He is a great ally, but an even more fearsome enemy.”

“I wouldn’t want to be your enemy, Sif,” Jane said holding her cup out to Sif.

Sif lifted her cup and knocked it against Jane’s. She had a little time left to spare before she would take a relaxing bath, enjoy a few hours of sleep, and then returned to guard duty.

 

OoO

 

Loki recognized that he was in a dream — everything about him was fuzzy. The goddess Eir had forced his body into a healing coma. In spite of her powers he knew that he rested in limbo between life and death. He was in a place of gray and shadows. Ellemaidens lurked within his gray prison. They were creatures that smiled brightly like caring women, but they were hollow. They had no hearts and should they turn their back on you a gaping hole would be seen. They had no sympathy for their charges. 

If he didn’t wake up soon they’d consume his heart to try to fill the void within their hollow chests. Their smiles didn’t hide their fangs. Loki’s illusions wouldn’t work against such single-minded creatures.

Hela appeared before him in a twirl of her emerald cape breaking up the monotone of the gray landscape. The hollow Ellemaidens vanished. She was riding the horse Sleipnir. “Look who I found wandering about the deserts of Muspelheim.” She patted the horse on the side of his neck. “I couldn’t let my brother perish in that land.”

“But you could let your father? Assuming that my previous incarnation was truly your father,” Loki scoffed. He wore his green robes and armor, golden horned crown, and had his scepter in his hands. It was certainly an improvement over the gray blah that he donned moments before.

“In another life you were my father and Sif in another life was my mother. I can see that you have feelings for her. If the two of you reconnect she will die again. History will repeat,” Hela warned. She tapped her fingernail against her temple. “I know.”

“Did the goddesses of fate tell you this?” Loki asked. He didn’t bother to deny that he might have feelings for Sif. “And you seem to enjoy spending time with Sif. Wouldn’t you want her to die and enter your realm?”

“The goddesses of fate speak in riddles and show you confusing, non-sensible visions.” Hela slid off Sleipnir’s back. “She will not be part of Niffleheim. She is not of the dishonored dead. As before, her place will be Valhalla.”

“But you were willing to let me die on Muspelheim,” Loki reasoned. 

Hela didn’t answer.

“I see.” Loki twirled his scepter. “Is there a reason you’re haunting my dreams? Am I about to die and you wanted to prepare me?”

“I have no idea where you will go when you finally die. You are confusing,” Hela said, a puzzled expression upon her face. “I have seen the jealousy in Balder’s eyes. I do not think you will live long with that one as your king. You have helped him back to life and secured his throne, but for centuries he thought of nothing but revenge against you for your hand in his death. The crown prince of Asgard died in dishonor. He was a captive of Nifleheim when he thought he deserved Valhalla.” Hela walked near Loki and slid her fingers across his cheek and gripped his jaw and forced him to meet her eyes. “Why would you think that placing a dishonored prince on the throne of Asgard would be a good idea?”

Loki could soft words being sung near his ear. 

“The king may sing in his bitter flight,   
The pine may croon to the vine to-night,  
But the little snowflake at my breast  
Liketh the song I sing best, —  
Sleep, sleep, little one, sleep;  
Weary thou art, anext my heart;  
Sleep, little one, sleep.”

The misty scene with Hela began to fade and he could no longer feel her grip upon his jaw. Consciousness was returning to him. He recognized the words as an old Nordic lullaby popular a few hundred years ago on Midgard—back when he was a welcome guest to the humans. He recognized the voice, but never would have imagine Lady Sif singing. Her voice was clear and pretty. 

“Maybe I’m still dreaming,” Loki said. “Surely, the Lady Sif would not be singing at my death bed the Norse Lullaby by Eugene Field.”

“You’re awake!” Sif cried out, gently grasping his hand wary of his recent injuries. “It’s a sweet song,” she said. “Best thing to come out of Midgard in the last couple of centuries.”

Loki opened his eyes slowly and could see long dark hair cascading near his face. He blew a breath and the strands nearest his mouth fluttered. “Help me sit up.”

Sif settled beside Loki on the bed and her arm went behind his back and helped him into a sitting position. His flesh was covered in linen bandages like a mummy. His hands appeared twice as big with a splint on each and every finger. He could see only a little amount of exposed flesh and he was still blue. He concentrated and the illusion he normally carried of pale skin superimposed over his Frost Giant flesh.

“That was unnecessary,” Sif said. She supported most of his weight. “You are weak as a kitten and you waste your power on your skin color?”

“My illusion magic and my physical strength are not directly correlated,” Loki explained. He turned to Sif, his body stiff with even the slightest of movements. She wasn’t in armor. She wore a simple dress of crimson and gold. Her feet were bare and stretched out with her legs crossed at the ankles on his bed. “So, what did I miss?”

“I’m not sure how much you remember. We brought you back from Muspelheim. It might be best to avoid that realm for the next few hundred years,” Sif advised with a grin. “Surtur’s ankles will be giving him trouble for some time.”

“Why?” Loki asked, his voice cracked.

Sif reached for a cup of water and held it to Loki’s lips. He sipped from it slowly. “Why?” he repeated, his voice deep and strong. “For all my crimes on Midgard alone I deserved what was happening to me on that fiery realm.”

“No, you killed, but you did not torture. I have killed in battle. There is a difference. You deserved either swift execution or imprisonment for many centuries to repent upon your crimes,” Sif said. 

“Thanks for your generous assessment,” Loki muttered. 

“I only speak the truth,” Sif said. “However, I feel that after your recent actions Asgard must realize the good that you can serve. I will stand by your side to petition for — what do the humans call it?” Sif turned to him.

“Parole?” Loki guessed.

Sif nodded. “Yes, exactly. Parole.” She shifted her right leg and grimaced slightly.

Loki’s attention immediately drew to her leg. He remembered how she had favorited it when she rescued him. “You’re bleeding!” he cried out. His bandaged hand reached for her leg. 

“That’s the reason I wore crimson,” Sif explained. She reached down and pulled up her skirt above the bandaged wound. She had linen wrap similar to Loki’s bandages. “Poisonous dragon fang.”

“When did that happen?” Loki asked. He settled his hand on her thigh, slightly above her wound, though with all his bandages and splints he couldn’t feel her. He was more concerned about her one wound than the countless lacerations across his torso and his broken fingers. What did that mean? 

“We had to face the dragon that lives under the roots of Yggdrasil in order to acquire Thor’s old battle axe Jarnbjorn to fight Surtur,” Sif said. 

“The dragon under the World Tree?” Loki sat up straighter the skin of his back muscles stretching uncomfortably. “You mean Nidhoggr? The devourer of souls?”

“That’s the one. Then the Convergence sent us to the Norn goddesses of fate and then to Jane Foster’s kitchen,” Sif said. 

Loki held up his free hand. “Wait. You visited with the three fates? What did you see?”

Sif turned to him, her blue eyes bright in the darkness of the room. She pressed her lips together in a thin line as she struggled for the right words. “You were being tortured by Surtur’s daughters. They had cut out your tongue and stripped the flesh from your body. They would not allow you to die. I couldn’t let that happen,” Sif whispered. 

“Why not? You owe me nothing, Sif. Your obligation to me ended when we saved Balder from death’s clutches,” Loki argued. 

“The fates also reminded me of our past. As children we were friends. I had forgotten.” She reached up and touched her dark hair. “Perhaps I am still bitter about the loss of my golden hair.”

“Ah,” Loki said with a sigh. “Still sour about the hair color.”

“Perhaps I can gain approval to use a healing elixir on you,” Sif said. 

“I’m surprised it was’t used earlier,” Loki confessed. “Though perhaps I deserve to feel these wounds.”

Sif stared down at her lap. “There is a shortage.”

“Because of the dark elf invasion,” Loki said. The invasion that he facilitated. “I will have plenty of time in my cell to recover. I assume I’ll be put back into confinement soon enough.”

“Technically, I am your guard,” Sif said. She laid her hand over his and he could see the gleam of her enchanted emerald ring. “Though I do not think you will go far.”

“So what else did you see at the well of the three fates?” Loki asked. He thought about his strange dream conversation with Hela. Did Sif perchance see that vision?

“I saw a vision of Hela’s past. We witnessed her birth. Apparently, in a previous incarnation we were her parents,” Sif said. She glanced at Loki briefly before focusing her gaze on their joined hands. “Ridiculous, right?”

“I believe it’s possible,” Loki confessed. “We have always had strong emotions for one another. Love and hate are two sides of the same coin. And if I were to settle down with an Asgardian you would certainly be preferable to Amora the Enchantress or Lorelei.” 

Sif scowled at the mention of the later. “I remember Lorelei. The two of you tricked me.”

“Yes, I impersonated Thor so that you would kiss me. You seemed to enjoy it.” Loki looked away, the memory painful. He’d been enamored by Sif, but she only had eyes for Thor. Lorelei had offered to help him as her powers of illusion and coercion were on par with his own. It would take both of their talents to fool the renown sensibilities of Lady Sif.

“I did,” Sif confessed. “Until I realized I was lied to and then I was overcome with rage. I am a berserker just beneath the surface.”

“Of that I am aware,” Loki said with an amused smile. The bruises upon his face ached. Having been beaten by Midgard’s Hulk he’d felt similar pain before to his current state. At least he didn’t seem to suffer any internal bleeding. He stared down at their hands and steeled his resolve. “If I were to try to kiss you again without deception, what would happen?”

Sif turned to him. “It might hurt. Are you willing to risk pain?”

“Without risk there is no gain,” Loki answered. He lifted his hand to touch Sif’s cheek. He brushed aside her dark hair awkwardly trying to shift it behind her ear as best as his bandages would allow. He leaned toward her, eyes closing, and met her lips. The kiss was soft at first. But things with Lady Sif were never soft and sweet.

Her arm supporting his weight tightened, pulling him closer against her. He could feel the firm press of her chest against his. She shifted their weight, practically picking him off the bed and laying him stretched out on his back. She had her hands on either side of his face and her body lay just above his, brushing against his bandages but not actually putting any of her weight upon him. 

Sif’s kiss was demanding, bruising, impatient. It was nothing like the kiss he stole from her under the guise of Thor. She pulled back and he could feel her warm breaths falling across his neck. He opened his eyes in a daze and stared up at her. “That was, worth the pain.”

Sif rose from the bed and went toward the far corner of the room. Her satchel bag was waiting there. She shifted through the contents and pulled out a vial. She made her way back to the bed and offered it to Loki.

He held up his bandaged hands. “I”m afraid I’ll need assistance.” 

“Of course,” Sif said, uncharacteristically shy. She focused on opening the topper fro the vial. “It’s not much for my wound was minor. It is my healing elixir ration,” she explained. “Technically by offering this to you I am committing treason.”

“I prefer to ask for forgiveness instead of permission,” Loki confessed with a wry smile. Sif held the vial to his lips and with their eyes locked he drank the healing potion. After it was empty Sif set the vial on a side table. 

He closed his eyes as sensations returned to his hands. He wiggled his bandaged fingers. He was honored to have caused Sif to commit treason though he wondered why the king of Asgard would deny him a small amount of elixir. 

Sif began to unwrap his hands, removing the bandages and splints on each of his fingers. A small pile of wrappings formed on the side of the bed. Loki experimented by curling his hands into fists. With his hands free and with a little more energy thanks to the healing elixir he reached out and touched Sif’s face again. Her skin was surprisingly soft, her hair felt like silk. 

“Am I still dreaming?”Loki asked, not believing his luck to bring Sif to his bedside willingly. 

“It’s no trick this time,” Sif said. She turned her face and kissed the inside of his palm. “Tomorrow my brother will need you to show him Odin. We will hope he awakens so that he may decide your judgement. Thor would grant you leniency. Odin would weigh the benefits versus the consequences. I fear Balder will not be forgiving.”

“Did we do right by bringing him back?” His troubling conversation with Hela came to mind.

“It is done. It seemed a noble cause at the time and we must abide by our choices,” Sif said. “I will stand up for you in the trial. As will Thor no doubt. Your actions these past few weeks will look favorable, Loki. Be brave.” She leaned down, brushed aside the hair that had fallen across his forehead and kissed him there softly. “Rest now, Loki. Tomorrow will be a busy day.”

Loki reached for her hand and held it tight. “Are you leaving?”

“No,” Sif said. She moved to sit in the chair next to his bed and kept holding his hand. “I will be here standing guard.” She glanced down at the chair. “Sitting guard.”

“I suppose guarding me from the bed would be out of the question?” Loki asked, a hopeful note in his voice.

Sif smiled slowly. “It would compromise my defense of you tomorrow.”

“We could compromise some other things while we’re at it,” Loki suggested with a waggle of his eyebrows.

Sif laughed, the sound a delightful treat coming from the stoic woman. “Not tonight.”

“But later?” he persisted.

Sif smiled, but didn’t answer. She folded her arms across her chest and leaned back in her chair and propped up her feet on the side of his bed.

 

Chapter Fifteen:

 

When Loki awoke at the sun’s first rays filtering through his window he was disappointed to find that the guard beside his bed was Sif’s older brother.

“Not whom you were expecting?” Heimdall asked, his all-knowing eyes amused. “I sent Sif back to her chambers to rest properly a few hours ago. She’s still weakened from the dragon’s poison.” He narrowed his eyes. “Funny how she’s taking so long to heal with her ration of healing elixir and yet your hands seem to be highly functional.”

“That is odd,” Loki agreed, his voice croaking in thirst. He reached for the glass of water on his bedside table, grateful for his hands working normal. He soothed his parched throat, but never took his eyes off Heimdall. “We’ll need to visit Frigga’s personal quarters in order to reach Odin in his slumber.”

“Let us make haste. Your time for recovery has expired,” Heimdall answered. 

Loki eased his legs over the side of his bed. The elixir helped substantially, as had the healing coma and the various salves, but he still hurt all over. He noticed that he was wearing boots. Someone must have slipped them on him while he slept. As he didn’t think Heimdall was the type he had to assume that Sif did so before she left. It was very considerate of her. 

Loki used his illusion magic to appear as an average Asgardian soldier. He and Heimdall traveled the quiet halls of early morning in the palace — most Asgardians would sleep for several hours more nursing their hangovers from the previous night’s dinner celebrations. It had been a frustrating trend during the time Loki had been ruling as king waiting for his advisors and secretaries of state to awaken and meet the day’s tasks. It was a blessing in his current situation and he wished his fellow Asgardians many hours of extra sleep. 

Frigga was surely in the halls of Valhalla. Loki hated that his last conversation with his adopted mother was spoken in resentful anger. He regretted many things in life, but that would always be at the top of his list. He brought Heimdall to the back room of Frigga’s personal suites and then he used the magic she had taught to him. He opened the realm between realms, his scepter was there as was Odin sleeping on a settee he’d borrowed from Frigga’s library. 

Loki brought Heimdall with him into the realm between realms and the all-seeing god picked up Odin and they entered Asgard once more. Loki set aside his scepter in the corner of the room. “I suppose I should leave this here for now,” he said with a sigh. He opened a panel in the wall that revealed Frigga’s weapons’s safe. He used a bit of his magic to open the lock and placed his scepter inside. “At least I don’t have to worry about anyone else using it.”

Heimdall shifted Odin’s weight and carried him to Frigga’s large canopied bed. He laid the king on the pillows. Loki crouched at Odin’s side. “Father, now might be a good time to wake up.” 

“King Odin, Asgard needs your guidance once more. Then we shall happily send you off to the halls of Valhalla!” Heimdall said gently shaking Odin’s shoulder.

Odin stirred, his uncovered eye snapped open. He looked first from Heimdall to Loki. He sat up and took in his surroundings. His naturally displeased expression melted into one of misery as his memories returned to him of recent happenings. 

“Father, Thor is home. He does not wish for the crown of Asgard,” Loki said.

“And I suppose you think I should give it to you,” Odin said, his voice a confident rumble. “I should have known it was a lie when that soldier told me you were dead.”

Loki shook his head. “I ruled in your stead under an illusion of you while you fell into the sleep.” He sighed. “And I was he soldier that brought you the news of my supposed death. I didn’t think it would send you into the Odin Sleep. Frankly, I didn’t think you would have cared that much.”

“He kept the kingdom from panicking during your absence,” Heimdall said.

“I see,” Odin said, running his hands through his gray hair. “Thor doesn’t want to be king, you do not want to be king, I suppose my legacy is to keep ruling until I have appropriate grandchildren?”

“I have adventured into the depths of Hel. Lady Sif and I have returned Balder to the realm of the living,” Loki explained.

“Balder?” Odin echoed with a puzzled expression. His eye cleared and lit up. “My boy! Balder? My sleep didn’t show me this. My sight doesn’t work on the realm of the dead.”

“Balder is alive and waits in the throne room. As does Thor,” Heimdall explained. “They wish for you to pass judgment on Loki’s fate. And for you to name the next king.”

“I see,” Odin said. “I have slept long enough. Let us be done with this.” He paused and stared pointedly at Loki’s wrists. “At least keep up the illusion that you are bound in chains.”

 

OoO 

 

Sif waited anxiously with Thor in the throne room. Balder sat on the coveted golden throne while Thor and Sif sparred in the halls while Jane and Valkryie, who was also stuck in Asgard until the end of the Convergence, watched from nearby. It was still too early for affairs of state. They hoped that Heimdall and Loki would arrive soon with King Odin in tow. 

Odin arrived with his escorts, Sif and Thor put away their weapons and kneeled on one knee before their king. Odin looked from them to Balder on his throne. A large smile spread across his face as he viewed his long lost son. Balder stood from the throne and moved to stand beside his father on the floor. 

“I believe you all want my blessing on the right of succession,” Odin said. “Balder how would you judge Loki?”

Balder seemed to grow taller as he began to walk in a tight circle around Loki’s stationary form. “I would pardon him of his heinous crimes if he were worthy to pick up Mjolnir,” he said.

Odin nodded. “That is reasonable. What will you do if the hammer rejects him?”

“Father, that isn’t fair. Even Balder wasn’t able to pick up my hammer,” Thor interjected. Jane had moved to stand at his side in a show of solidarity. 

Odin raised his eyebrow high into his hairline. “Whomever is worthy as king must be able to lift the hammer,” Odin said. He gave Thor a pointed look and the God of Thunder set his hammer on the floor at Odin’s feet. With ease, the King of Asgard lifted the hammer and brandished it for his small audience.

“My king, if I might make a statement,” Sif said, still in her kneeling position on the ground.

“General Sif, speak,” Odin ordered.

“While Loki’s crimes are many, his deeds have saved Asgard. Without his help the Ether would still be a threat. I recently embarked upon an adventure with him and he proved himself selfless and courageous numerous times,” Sif stated looking up at Odin’s eyes and beseeching him. “He is a great asset to Asgard.”

“I have listened to your counsel, General Sif. Now stand and see what will be,” Odin said. He looked around the small assembly and his attention focused on Valkryie. “Another surprise for this old king.” He shook his head to focus. “Whomever is to be king of Asgard must be worthy of lifting Mjolnir.” He gestured for Balder.

Balder took a deep breath and walked confidently to the hammer. He gripped the handle with two hands and pulled. Nothing happened, he pulled again. His body began to glow with a blue fire as a result of his effort and his forehead broke out into a sheen of sweat. “Father, that proves nothing. I am your first born. I am the crown prince of Asgard.”

“You were, but many years have passed since that time,” Odin said. “Come Loki. Let me see your mettle. Are you worthy of being king? Are you worthy of being pardoned?” 

Loki dropped the illusion of his chains and stared down at the hammer as if it were a great wolf intent on biting his hand. Loki took a deep breath and placed his left hand on the hammer’s hilt. With his eyes closed he pulled and lifted the hammer. His emerald eyes opened wide as he stared at his hand and the hammer in bewilderment. 

Odin took the hammer from Loki’s hand, handed it back to Thor, and crossed the distance to his throne. He settled into his former position and looked down upon his sons and their companions. “Only the king can pardon a criminal such as Loki.” He directed his fierce eye upon Balder. “You are not king. You may have been the heir, but that doesn’t mean you will inherit. As of now, you are not worthy — though perhaps one day.” He looked between Thor and Loki. “It seems that now both of you are worthy of being king and yet neither of you want the position.”

The throne room fell into an uncomfortable silence. 

Sif gave her brother a pointed look, worried Odin might fall into another great sleep. “My king,” Heimdall said. “What will be your decision?”

Odin’s posture was rigid on the throne, but his aged appearance seemed to grow stronger. “I am glad you have returned Balder, but you are not going to be king any time soon.” He turned to Thor. “You have other priorities as a champion of Midgard.” He looked past Thor to Jane and nodded at her, acknowledging her presence. 

He turned to Loki. “Lady Sif petitions to me that you are redeemable and an asset. It seems that the hammer has seen your change of heart. It may be that the duty of kingship might fall upon your shoulders. The future is unseen. I had asked the three Norns about the next king long ago when you were children, they showed confusing images. When you were little and I said that you or Thor might be the king I meant it. However, your crimes cannot so easily be forgotten even if they are forgiven.”

Odin gestured for Heimdall. “Bring me the book.”

Sif’s brother left the throne room and hurried to the king’s private library. She met Loki’s eyes and mouthed the words ‘the book’ in question. He shrugged, apparently unsure as well. 

Heimdall returned carrying a thick tome and handed it to Odin. The king flipped it open on his lap. It made a loud ‘thud.’ “This book is full of your crimes over the centuries, Loki. For every good quest you succeed in I will forget a crime.” He ripped a page out of the book and it turned to ash. “Do you agree?”

Loki nodded and kneeled on one knee. “I am humbled, my king.”

“I would be honored to aid him on these quests,” Sif said, stepping near Loki. 

“Of course you would,” Heimdall grumbled shaking his head. 

Thor cleared his throat. 

“Yes, Thor?” Odin addressed him.

“Technically, Loki completed more than one mission of good will,” Thor explained. He looked across to meet Sif’s eyes. Their old ability to read one another’s minds came into play.

“That’s true,” Sif agreed. “He first succeeded in retrieving Balder with the intention of returning him to Asgard.”

“Then he went on a mission to save Sif from Hela,” Thor added. 

“And then he saved both me and Sir Ivory from the demonesses,” Balder said, catching on. His posture was more relaxed, and his arrogance was rapidly melting away. 

“Then he chose to face Surtur’s wrath alone so that Balder, Sir Ivory, and myself might be freed,” Thor said. 

“Fine,” Odin agreed in a bored tone. He ripped out three more pages and turned them into ash. 

Thor smiled at Loki and Loki felt his lip curling up in amusement. 

Odin sighed and rolled his eye. “He also ruled selflessly while I was weakened by the Odin Sleep,” he said pulling out another page and burning it. He flipped through the pages. “Only two-thousand five hundred and twelve more quests and you’ll be like an innocent lamb.” 

“Good thing we have such long lives,” Loki answered.

Odin looked around the gathering. “I am not retiring as king anytime soon. I love Frigga, but no doubt she’s fighting with the glorious valkries in the after life. She’d be terribly disappointed if I let something like wallowing in grief send me off to the after life.” He tapped his fingers on the arm of his throne. “Loki, you are still a criminal of Asgard. You will need to either be imprisoned or under constant supervision.”

“I will accept the burden of supervising Loki,” Sif volunteered.

Odin looked down upon Sif curiously. “It is strange this change in heart you have for Loki. Not long ago you were threatening him bodily harm on a daily basis. He will need to be supervised all day and night.”

“I understand. We should have his things moved into my my quarters immediately,” Sif said, matter-of-fact. 

Jane giggled, and quickly covered her mouth with her hand. “Sorry,” she whispered, her voice muffled by her hand. 

Loki was shocked and couldn’t help but stare at Sif. She would ruin her reputation. “That’s not necessary Sif. People will assume that we’re.…”

“Let them,” she said with a smile and a dangerous gleam in her eyes. 

“Sister, he will betray you,” Heimdall warned, concern across his features. 

“Perhaps,” Sif agreed with a shrug. “Today is not that day.”

Loki felt overwhelmed with gratitude. Never had someone stood up for him quite like this, even Thor wasn’t so stout in his support. He vowed then and there that he would not betray Sif. He might betray everyone else in Asgard at some point or another, but that would not happen to Sif. He owed her at least that.

“Very well,” Odin agreed. “Now, leave me. I believe I have rules of state to attend. A city needs rebuilt.” He waved his hand in Thor and Jane’s direction. “A royal wedding to finance.”

 

OoO

 

With the Bifrost being shut down for the rest of the duration of the Convergence Loki’s good deeds were limited to Asgard. He often went about in an illusion of an unnoticable soldier. Asgardians didn’t trust him in general. There was no need for those he helped to know his identity, but for them to benefit from his new found altruism.

The way the people of Asgard looked at Sif as she stood beside him performing all sorts of good deeds warmed Loki’s heart. The people loved her. She was their champion — more so than Thor ever had been. Thor was beloved of course, but he was the prince and as such was removed from the people. Sif was one of them and had risen to the ranks of general with nothing but her determination and strength. Loki would have been jealous if he didn’t echo those same sentiments in his own heart when it came to Sif. 

Thor tried to engrain Jane into Asgardian life, but it became evident that she wasn’t comfortable in their realm. The added stress of the royal wedding that Odin had insisted upon was a strain on their relationship. As soon as the Bifrost was in working order Thor would return to Midgard. He would only return to Asgard when his help was needed in defending the nine realms. Loki didn’t expect to see him much for the next few decades. Valkryie had offered Balder a chance to join her in outer space. She was part of a heroic group called the Defenders. She thought that perhaps it would grant him a chance to prove himself worthy of being king one day. Balder had enthusiastically accepted the offer, making Loki grateful that soon he wouldn’t have to see his estranged older brother.

“What do you think Thor will do when his little human friends pass into death?” Loki asked when he and Sif were sharing a small meal under the shade of a large tree. They had spent all morning helping to repair a barn damaged in the crosshairs of roaming wild boars from Hel. Sif was better at destruction than construction, so it had been a slow process. 

“He will be sad and in need of his oldest friends,” Sif said. She was idly twirling her ring around her finger. “I do not believe he realizes the heartbreak he is setting himself up for.” She glanced toward Loki. “Though for him to deny himself this fleeting opportunity for joy, because of a fear of the loss, he would forever lament his missed chance. It shows maturity on his part.”

Loki had argued the opposite with Thor months ago when they were working to defeat the dark elves and hide away the Ether. Jane’s life was nearly a blink of the eye compared to the lifespan of an Asgardian. Thor’s answer hadn’t been quite as elegant as Sif’s, but the sentiment had been the same. “How do you feel about our relationship?” Loki asked cautiously. He braced himself for brutal honesty — Sif didn’t speak in any other way. They’d been sharing quarters for four months now. He wondered if he was only a distraction for her while Thor was otherwise engaged. What scared him was that he didn’t care. He was just glad to have her, even if it was only for a short time. 

Sif turned to him and took hold of his chin. “Are you fishing for compliments, Trickster?”

“Just answers,” Loki answered holding her gaze. 

Sif began to laugh and released his chin. Loki folded his arms across his chest and tried to not be insulted by her reaction. “Loki, do you realize how many centuries it will take for you to redeem yourself of all your crimes?” 

“Quite a few,” he reasoned, unsure of what that had to do with their relationship status.

“I am obligated to the king to serve as your supervisor,” Sif reminded him. She shifted so that she faced Loki, her legs on either side of him and she rested her weight on the muscles of his thighs. “I have committed myself to you for several centuries. And as of late I find myself supportive of cross-species relations — Asgardians and humans, Asgardians and Vanir, Asgardians and adopted Frost Giants.” 

Loki breathed a sigh of relief and leaned his forehead against Sif’s. He closed his eyes and relaxed. Sif’s lips brushed against his softly and he opened his eyes to see her smiling at him. He smiled back. “It’s ironic. I proved myself worthy of the throne, but now I could care less about ruling Asgard.”

“Oh?” Sif asked softly. 

“It will take some time, but I’d like to prove myself worthy of you,” Loki said. 

“Perhaps you do have a silver tongue,” Sif whispered. “Why don’t you show me?” 

 

OoO

 

For many centuries the Warrior and the Trickster would fight side by side defending the Nine Realms and helping those unable to help themselves. The book marking Loki’s previous crimes had thinned considerably until one day it was nothing but ash at the feet of King Odin. Yet, still, the Warrior and the Trickster continued on their constant adventures proving that their strength laid in fighting alongside one another rather than against. 

It was their experiences that made them the ideal rulers for Asgard. The realm flourished under their wise and just rule. Their mettle had been tested and after much trial and tribulation they had emerged strong and durable. 

 

FIN

**Author's Note:**

> A/N:  So, the whole Thor comic series is grossly confusing so I’m going to be picking and choosing elements to include in this story and I’ll try to keep it mostly in the movie-verse, but I’ll be taking a lot of artistic liberties and might have some more Avengers and Defenders references.  I do want to explain some things that I find confusing so hopefully no one will have to go back and forth to Wikipedia.
> 
> The main points in the comics are that Loki and Sif have known each other almost forever and at times have teamed up when he’s saving the world and not destroying it.  Sif and Thor are former lovers.  She and Thor actually share a half-brother, Balder, but aren’t related to one another.  Thor is the son of Odin and Gaia.  Balder (who isn’t in the movies) is the son of Odin and Frigga.  
> 
> To simplify I’ll agree with the movies and have Thor and Balder be full brothers under the parentage of Odin and Frigga.  Loki is the son of the King of the Frost Giants (so technically it is his birthright to be a king).  Sif’s full brother is Heimdall, but since in the movie they look nothing alike I’ll say they are half-siblings.  And Hela is the goddess of death in the series, and the reason she favors Loki is because in his previous incarnation he was her father. 
> 
> I’ll explain the Nine Realms too:  
>  1) Alfheim:  land of the light elves   
> 2) Asgard- land of the Aesir a.k.a. Asgardians   
> 3) Vanaheim- home of the Vanir, sister race of the Asgardians   
> 4) Jotunheim- land of the Frost Giants (Loki’s father was the king)  
>  5) Midgard – earth   
> 6) Nidavellir – land of the dwarves  
>  7) Svartalheim- land of the dark elves    
> 8) Niffleheim- dishonored dead dwell here, Valhalla- honored dead live here   
> 9) Muspelheim- world of the fire demons Yggdrasil- The World Tree


End file.
